Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: Adhere to and improve the policy of minimum grain purchase price to ensure the basic income of farmers growing grain.

On July 22, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued a response to Proposal No. 5111 of the Fourth Session of the Fourteenth National People's Congress. It mentioned that in recent years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with relevant departments, has strengthened policy support and taken multiple measures to stabilize grain prices, fully guaranteeing the income of grain farmers. It has guided localities and relevant enterprises to grasp the timing and pace of government reserve rotation, strengthen throughput linkage, form a regulatory force, and promote grain prices to remain at a reasonable level. In 2026, the minimum purchase prices for early indica rice, mid/late indica rice, and japonica rice will remain at the previous year's level, at 1.28 yuan, 1.29 yuan, and 1.31 yuan per kilogram, respectively, with a total purchase quantity limited to 50 million tons. The minimum purchase price level for wheat will remain unchanged for two years, at 1.19 yuan per kilogram in 2026, with a total purchase quantity limited to 37 million tons. In the next step, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will work with relevant departments to adhere to and improve the policy of minimum grain purchase prices, ensuring the basic income of grain farmers and providing fundamental support for national food security. The original text is as follows: In Response to Proposal No. 5111 of the Fourth Session of the Fourteenth National People's Congress Representative Xu Dequan: We have received your proposal on safeguarding national food security. After consulting with the State Administration of Grain and Grain Reserves, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Water Resources, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, and the National Development and Reform Commission, we hereby respond as follows: 1. Strengthening the guarantee of agricultural basic conditions In recent years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with relevant departments, has continuously strengthened policy support, increased funding, strengthened guidance services, and continuously consolidated the foundation for agricultural development. Continuously improve the level of agricultural mechanization. Promote the rapid development and application of agricultural machinery and equipment in hilly and mountainous areas, steadily implement pilot projects such as intelligent agricultural machinery, Siasun Robot & Automation in agriculture, and research and development, manufacturing, and promotion of agricultural machinery. The industrial application of advanced agricultural machinery and equipment, such as the 18kg/s grain combined harvester and the 10-row rice high-speed seedling transplanter, has accelerated, and the prototype trial of the 20kg/s hybrid grain combined harvester has been completed. Thoroughly implement the policy of purchasing and storing food. Give full play to the role of market mechanisms, continuously strengthen aspects such as storage capacity, funds, personnel, etc., enhance the connection between production and sales and cooperation with agricultural enterprises, encourage central enterprises and backbone enterprises to lead market purchases, guide various entities to actively participate in market purchases, and enhance the vitality of market purchases. Guide the promotion of production through circulation, instructing all regions to optimize their planting structures through brand building, contract farming, etc., promote the optimization of crop varieties, and improve quality. In the next step, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will work with relevant departments to promote high-quality construction of high-standard farmland, vigorously promote the rectification of shortcomings in agricultural machinery and equipment, and strengthen the construction of a modern agricultural circulation system to provide a basic support for the effective supply of important agricultural products such as grain. 2. Strengthening agricultural insurance claims support In recent years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in cooperation with relevant departments, has continuously strengthened policy support, continued to promote the expansion, improvement, and upgrading of agricultural insurance, and steadily improved the quality and effectiveness of agricultural insurance services. Expand the coverage. Currently, the coverage of agricultural insurance protection varieties includes major bulk agricultural products and over 500 local specialty agricultural products. The full cost insurance for three major crops, soybeans, and farming income insurance policies have been implemented nationwide, and comprehensive sugarcane cost insurance and farming income insurance and comprehensive rubber insurance have been continuously carried out with adaptation to local conditions. In 2025, the agricultural insurance premium income in China exceeded 155 billion yuan, and the central finance allocated 51.7 billion yuan in agricultural insurance premium subsidies to provide risk protection to farmers over 5.2 trillion yuan. Improve regulatory norms. By opening green channels, establishing a perfect pre-claims mechanism, etc., fully play the role of agricultural insurance in helping to restore agricultural production, and stabilize the protection function of farmers' expectations. In 2025, China's agricultural insurance paid out over 120 billion yuan in claims to farmers. The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission issued the "Management Measures for Agricultural Insurance Underwriting and Claims", with clear requirements for underwriting, claims, internal control, etc., guiding the China Insurance Association to formulate and release standards for underwriting and claims services for crop and livestock insurance, and strengthening the concept of compliant operations. In conjunction with relevant departments, issued the "Notice on Promoting Precision Underwriting and Claims of Agricultural Insurance" to guide the strengthening of management of precision underwriting, improvement of claims mechanisms and standards, enhancement of claims service quality and effectiveness, and the establishment of a complete and efficient service system for precision and efficient agricultural insurance, focusing on solving the pain points of underwriting and claims. ....