China cultivates more high-standard farmland in 2025 amid modernization drive

BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- China established more high-standard farmland as agricultural modernization efforts in the country continued to make solid progress in 2025, official data showed.

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China achieved the construction and renovation of 75.68 million mu (5.05 million hectares) of high-standard farmland last year, bringing the total area of high-standard farmland across the country to exceed 1 billion mu. High-standard farmland refers to cultivated land that is typically well-equipped with facilities and can ensure stable and high yields.

Among the indicators of agricultural modernization progress in China, sci-tech advancements stood out, having contributed more than 64 percent to agricultural output in 2025, while the market share of home-grown seed varieties for livestock and poultry, aquatic products and vegetables exceeded 80 percent, 86 percent and 91 percent, respectively, the data revealed.

The overall mechanization rate for crop cultivation, planting and harvesting reached 76.7 percent last year.

Notably, the number of agricultural drones in use has topped 300,000 units, with their annual operation area having surpassed 460 million mu, the data showed.

The Central Rural Work Conference, held in December 2025, emphasized that agricultural and rural modernization has a major bearing on Chinese modernization as a whole, calling for efforts to advance the high-quality development of high-standard farmland in different zones and categories. ■