BEIJING, Aug. 22 -- China's early rice output reached 28.52 million tonnes in 2025, up 340,000 tonnes or 1.2 percent from the previous year, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday.

The average yield of early rice reached 400.8 kilograms per mu (about 0.067 hectares), surpassing 400 kilograms for the first time. This marked a year-on-year increase of 1.5 percent, despite a slight decline of 0.3 percent in the total sown area, according to the bureau.

Wei Fenghua, an official with the bureau, attributed the growth to favorable weather conditions, a low incidence of natural disasters and effective policy support, including a higher minimum purchase price for early long-grained rice and incentives for major grain-producing counties.

China's stable summer grain output and increased early rice production this year have laid a solid foundation for ensuring annual food security and provided strong support for sustaining economic growth amid a complex and challenging global environment, Wei said.