In a recent response to suggestions regarding national food security, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in coordination with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Water Resources, the National Financial Regulatory Administration, and the National Development and Reform Commission, outlined several key initiatives.
Strengthening Agricultural Infrastructure
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, along with other departments, has been continuously strengthening policy support, increasing capital investment, and enhancing guidance services to solidify the foundation of agricultural development. This includes boosting agricultural mechanization levels. Efforts are accelerating the development and application of agricultural machinery for hilly and mountainous areas, with steady progress in pilot projects integrating smart farming equipment, agricultural robots, and machinery research, development, and manufacturing. The industrialization of advanced equipment, such as 18kg/s feed-rate grain harvesters and 10-row high-speed rice transplanters, is speeding up, while a prototype for a 20kg/s feed-rate hybrid grain harvester has been completed. The subsidy policy for agricultural machinery purchases and use is being deeply implemented, and the scrapping and renewal of old machinery is being solidly advanced, with the comprehensive mechanization rate for crop cultivation and harvesting reaching 76.7%.
Efforts are also being made to coordinate grain procurement and storage. The role of market mechanisms is being fully utilized, with continuous reinforcement of essential elements like storage capacity, capital, and personnel. Production and sales links, as well as connections between farms and enterprises, are being strengthened. Central enterprises and leading companies are encouraged to take the lead in market procurement, guiding diverse entities to actively participate, thereby enhancing market vitality. The guiding role of circulation on production is being leveraged by directing local governments to optimize planting structures through brand building and order farming, promoting superior varieties and quality improvement. Next, the Ministry will work with other departments to advance the high-quality construction of high-standard farmland, vigorously implement a campaign to address shortcomings in agricultural machinery, and strengthen the modern agricultural circulation system to provide foundational support for the effective supply of essential agricultural products.
Enhancing Agricultural Insurance Claims Support
In recent years, the Ministry has collaborated with relevant departments to continuously strengthen policy support, steadily expanding the coverage, increasing the variety, and raising the standards of agricultural insurance to improve its service quality and efficiency. The scope of coverage has been broadened. Currently, agricultural insurance protects a range covering major bulk agricultural products and over 500 types of local specialty agricultural products. The full cost and planting income insurance policies for the three major grain crops (rice, wheat, and corn) and soybeans now cover the entire country, alongside full cost and planting income insurance for sugarcane and comprehensive insurance for natural rubber. Insurance for local specialty agricultural products is being promoted based on local conditions. In 2025, China's agricultural insurance premium income exceeded 1.55 trillion yuan, with the central government allocating 51.7 billion yuan in premium subsidies, providing farmers with over 5.2 trillion yuan in risk protection.
Systems and regulations are being refined. By opening green channels and establishing and improving preliminary compensation mechanisms, the protective function of agricultural insurance in aiding production recovery and stabilizing farmer expectations is being fully utilized. In 2025, total agricultural insurance payouts to farmers surpassed 1.2 trillion yuan. The National Financial Regulatory Administration issued the "Administrative Measures for Agricultural Insurance Underwriting and Claims," setting clear requirements for underwriting, claims, and internal controls. It guided the China Insurance Association to develop service standards for underwriting and claims in crop and livestock insurance, reinforcing the concept of compliant operations. A joint notice with other departments on promoting precise underwriting and claims in agricultural insurance was issued to guide efforts in strengthening underwriting precision, improving claims mechanisms and standards, and enhancing the quality and efficiency of claims services, thereby building a precise and efficient agricultural insurance service system and addressing key pain points. Next, the Ministry will work with relevant departments to continuously promote the coordinated efforts of various agricultural insurance policies, accelerate the construction of an integrated "insurance, prevention, reduction, relief, and compensation" service system, effectively enhance agricultural disaster prevention, mitigation, and comprehensive protection capabilities, and provide more comprehensive, precise, and convenient agricultural risk protection services for farmers and new agricultural operators.
Implementing Reward Policies for Large Grain Growers to Boost Enthusiasm
The Ministry, along with other departments, has been focusing on moderate-scale grain production operations and continuously increasing policy support to effectively enhance the enthusiasm of scale operators. The central government, through funds for grain and oil production security and the enhancement of agricultural operators' capabilities, supports the development of family farms and farmer cooperatives. In 2025, a special initiative was launched to encourage millions of new agricultural operators to lead in increasing per-unit yield and serving smallholder farmers, aiding the large-scale increase in per-unit yield of grain and oil crops. Funding continues in 2026 to intensify support for the campaign to increase per-unit yield among large-scale grain and oil planting entities, providing rewards and subsidies to those that successfully implement key technical measures and achieve yield targets. Advanced and applicable technologies, such as those for large-scale per-unit yield increases, are key components. Qualified service providers like farmer cooperatives, family farms, and agricultural service companies are supported in offering socialized services to smallholders and other production operators. By the end of 2024, there were 1.677 million grain-growing family farms and 546,000 grain-growing cooperatives nationwide. The total grain crop planting area on family farms reached 248.75 million mu, with an average yield of 468.1 kg per mu. Next, the Ministry will continue to carry out the special initiative for new agricultural operators to lead in increasing per-unit yield and serving smallholders, increase policy support, and boost the enthusiasm of smallholders, especially scale operators, to grow grain.
Standardizing Land Transfer to Promote Scaled Operations
The Ministry, in collaboration with other departments, has been continuously strengthening the management and services for rural land transfer, advancing the standardized development of rural property rights transaction markets, and guiding local governments to develop various forms of moderate-scale operations suited to local conditions, thereby driving stable income growth for farmers. The policy system for land transfer has been improved. The "Measures for the Administration of Rural Land Management Rights Transfer" was formulated and issued, along with model contracts for the lease and equity investment of rural land management rights, to standardize the management of transfer contracts. A pilot program for the standardized trading of rural property rights was launched, guiding local governments to meet standardization requirements and improve the policy system for rural property rights transactions. By the end of 2024, there were over 1,500 rural property rights transaction markets with legal entity status nationwide. Moderate-scale operations are being promoted based on local conditions. The initiative to enhance new agricultural operators is being deeply implemented, with a focus on developing farmer cooperatives and family farms, and cultivating a number of new agricultural operators of appropriate scale. Organizational forms such as "service provider + new agricultural operator + farmer" and "service provider + rural collective economic organization + farmer" are being promoted, along with various service models like single or multi-step operations. By the end of 2024, 1.111 million operational entities were providing socialized services, covering an annual service area of over 2.29 billion mu times and serving nearly 93 million smallholder households. Next, the Ministry will continue to improve the policy system, strengthen supervision and management, and effectively manage risks to enhance the management and service level of contracted land management rights transfer, promoting various forms of moderate-scale operations suited to local conditions.
Raising Minimum Grain Purchase Prices
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, along with other departments, has been strengthening policy support and taking multiple measures to stabilize grain prices, ensuring the income of grain farmers. The minimum purchase price level is rationally determined by comprehensively considering factors such as grain production costs, market supply and demand, domestic and international market prices, and industrial development, to stabilize farmers' income expectations. Implementation plans for the minimum purchase price of rice and wheat have been formulated and issued, with timely activation in eligible areas to effectively leverage the policy's role as a safety net. Local governments and relevant enterprises are guided to appropriately grasp the timing and pace of government reserve rotation, strengthen the linkage between storage and release, form a coordinated regulatory force, and maintain grain prices at a reasonable level. For 2026, the minimum purchase prices for early indica rice, medium-late indica rice, and japonica rice remain at the previous year's levels, at 1.28 yuan, 1.29 yuan, and 1.31 yuan per jin, respectively, with a total purchase limit of 50 million tons. The minimum purchase price for wheat is set for two years, remaining at 1.19 yuan per jin in 2026, with a total purchase limit of 37 million tons. Next, the Ministry will persist in and improve the minimum grain purchase price policy, safeguard farmers' basic income from grain cultivation, and provide fundamental support for ensuring national food security.