BEIJING — China will see a bumper harvest this year, with grain production expected to hit an all-time high, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Changfu said on Nov 11.

Han made the remarks at the China Development Forum 2020, attributing the rich harvest to the country's consistency in prioritizing food security and enhancing farmland protections, agriculture technology and policy support.

China will consolidate its achievements in poverty alleviation and continuously advance rural vitalization in an all-round way in the coming five years, said Han, calling for more efforts to speed up rural and agricultural modernization.

Deeming agriculture a cornerstone for economic and social stability, Han said China has always listed work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers as top priorities and paid high attention to grain production.

"China will unswervingly expand the opening up of agriculture, promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation in agriculture technology, talent, trade of farm produce and investment," he added.

The world's top food producer and consumer, China saw its grain output hit a record high of 664 million metric tons last year, its 16th consecutive bumper year.