BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's countryside has become more vibrant and prosperous during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), with grain production setting a new record, agricultural modernization making progress and rural communities becoming more livable.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Han Jun, minister of agriculture and rural affairs, said the country's grain output had surpassed 700 million tonnes for the first time last year -- representing an increase of 37 million tonnes compared with 2020.

According to official data, this rise in output has been underpinned by improvements in farmland infrastructure and agricultural technology.

China, notably, has developed over 1 billion mu (66.7 million hectares) of high-standard farmland. In addition, technological advancement has become a key driver in boosting grain harvests -- with its contribution rate rising to 63.2 percent.

Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Zhang Xingwang highlighted China's robust agricultural innovation network, which comprises more than 800 institutions and over 120,000 researchers. Also, some 400,000 grassroots technicians now work year-round to deliver new technologies directly to farmers.

China's northern regions will begin large-scale harvesting within 20 days, and Han said at the press conference that autumn crops are growing well. This, combined with stable summer grain production, will provide solid conditions for a bumper harvest this year.

To guarantee food security, China has also significantly boosted its domestic capacity of critical crops such as soybeans and oilseeds. Last year, soybean production had reached 20.65 million tonnes, raising self-sufficiency by 4 percentage points compared with 2020. Oilseed output climbed to nearly 39.79 million tonnes in 2024 -- lifting edible vegetable oil self-sufficiency by almost 5 percentage points.

MODERNIZATION IN FIELDS

Rural industries have thrived in the 14th Five-Year Plan period, boosting China's agricultural modernization efforts, according to the press conference.

Major agricultural processing enterprises generated an estimated 18 trillion yuan (about 2.53 trillion U.S. dollars) in revenue last year. A total of 210 specialized industrial clusters have been established across the country since 2021, while e-commerce, rural tourism and leisure farming all boomed during this period. Leisure agriculture alone brought in roughly 900 billion yuan in 2024.

Animal husbandry and aquaculture have also expanded in this period. Total output of meat, eggs and dairy products has reached 175 million tonnes -- up 18.8 percent from 2020. Per capita annual consumption of meat and eggs has climbed to 72 kilograms and 25 kilograms, respectively, both above global averages.

Aquatic production hit 73.58 million tonnes in 2024, a 12.3-percent increase compared with 2020 -- retaining China's spot as the world leader in seafood output for a 36th consecutive year.

Moreover, Zhang noted that agricultural practices are becoming greener. Nationwide agricultural water use has decreased by an average of 3.6 billion cubic meters annually, while fertilizer usage has fallen by 5 percent and pesticide application has dropped by 1.5 percent from 2020 levels.

MORE LIVABLE COUNTRYSIDE

The press conference revealed that rural life has grown markedly more comfortable and connected in the 2021-2025 period. Infrastructure for water, electricity, roads, gas and digital services has improved across the countryside.

China's rural road network now exceeds 4.64 million kilometers -- and tap water coverage for the countryside has reached 94 percent. More than 90 percent of administrative villages have 5G access, while rural parcel delivery networks are expanding, allowing residents to send and receive packages close to home.

Public services have also advanced in China's rural areas. Over 140,000 mutual-aid eldercare facilities and 16,000 rural nursing homes have been established.

Average disposable incomes of rural residents climbed to 23,119 yuan last year -- while the urban-rural income ratio narrowed to 2.34:1, down from 2.56:1 in 2020. "There has been a marked narrowing trend," Han said.

Looking ahead to the next five years, Han believes the foundation for agricultural and rural development will be even more solid and that the outlook will be even brighter, with new progress in advancing all-around rural revitalization and building up China's strength in agriculture.