Shandong province enjoys a robust summer grain harvest of 27.51 billion kilograms this year. [Photo/Dazhong News]

East China's Shandong province achieved a summer grain harvest of 27.51 billion kilograms in 2026, securing its position as a national breadbasket. The output ranks second nationwide, accounting for 18.2 percent of the country's total.

The province planted nearly 60.53 million mu (403,533 hectares) of summer grain, the second-largest area in China, and recorded a per-unit yield of 454.5 kg per mu – ranking first among major grain-producing provinces.

Shandong is the only major grain-harvesting province to achieve simultaneous increases in planting area, per-unit yield, and total output for four consecutive years during the summer harvest season.

The strong performance came despite adverse conditions. Heavy autumn rainfall had delayed winter wheat sowing, resulting in a higher proportion of weak seedlings. In response, Shandong deployed 18,000 agricultural technicians to provide guidance across five planting zones. 

A series of measures – including late-sowing adaptation techniques, spring seedling management, and comprehensive spraying during the grain-filling stage – helped turn the situation around. When the harvest season arrived, more than 802,000 combine harvesters were deployed, with measured grain loss rates kept at just 0.65 percent.

Shandong implements multiple measures to ensure a healthy summer harvest. [Photo/Dazhong News]

The province has also promoted the integrated development of high-standard farmland, improved seeds, advanced machinery, and deployed better farming practices to boost per-unit yields.

Shandong has built 77.91 million mu of high-standard farmland and dredged 2,800 kilometers of irrigation ditches. Improved wheat varieties were planted on over 30 million mu farmland, while 1.36 million deep tillage ploughs and 53,000 high-performance seed drills supported the season. 

Water-saving irrigation techniques were applied to over 3.63 million mu, up 51 percent year-on-year.