Chinese History and Statistics -- Page 21

Food Grains

Food grains constitute the principal crop grown in China, the leading food grains being rice, wheat, corn, millet, and kaoliang (a form of sorghum); legumes (peas and beans) and tubers (potatoes) are also frequently classified as food grains in official Chinese statistics. Production of food grains rose dramatically from 1980 to 1984 but then became stagnant. Output in 1988 totaled 394,010,000 metric tons (434,317,000 U.S. tons), up from 302,560,000 metric tons (333,515,000 U.S. tons) in 1980.

Rice

Rice is the leading food grain, and although traditionally grown in the warmer lands of central and southern China, rice can now be grown in every province except Qinghai as a result of the development of cold-tolerant hybrids. New hybrid strains of high-yielding rice have also been developed, producing twice as much per hector as traditional seeds. China produced 174,416,000 metric tons (192,240,000 U.S. tons) of rice in 1987 and is the world's leading rice producer.

Wheat

Wheat production in 1987 was 87,768,000 metric tons (96,737,000 U.S. tons), cultivated on 28,812,000 ha (71,145,000 acres) of land, making it the second most important crop in China. Although traditionally cultivated in the cooler north and east where rice could not be grown, about 80% of all wheat grown today is winter wheat produced as a second crop (after rice) or in rotation with rice and cotton.