Wheat
Wheat (scientific name: Triticum aestivum) is a species of annual or biennial grass in the Poaceae family, with flowering and fruiting occurring from May to July. It is one of the three most important grain crops globally (alongside rice and corn).
Plant Characteristics
Structure: Consists of roots, stems, leaves, ears, and seeds (grains). The stem is erect, hollow, and jointed; the spike is usually upright, often with awns (the long slender spines on the ear).
Growth Environment: Wheat has strong adaptability but grows best in temperate regions. Based on the planting season, it is mainly divided into:
- Winter Wheat: Planted in autumn, undergoes winter dormancy (vernalization), and is harvested in the following summer.
- Spring Wheat: Planted in spring and harvested in the same year in autumn.
Value
As an important staple food in China, wheat mainly provides carbohydrates, some protein, B vitamins, and minerals. Its core function is providing stable energy. Its unique value lies in its gluten protein system. This makes it more suitable than many grains for making bread, noodles, steamed buns, cookies, cakes, and other foods. Among grains, wheat has strong "plasticity" and "product diversity." Because of this characteristic, wheat can be classified as strong gluten, medium gluten, or weak gluten, corresponding to different food uses.
Economically, wheat is a bulk basic agricultural product, connecting the entire industrial chain including planting, storage, logistics, milling, food processing, feed, and by-product utilization. It not only produces flour, but also bran, middlings, and germ, all of which have value.
Production Regions
China has a wide distribution of wheat, with diverse geographical and climatic environments, suitable for planting both winter wheat and spring wheat.
The main wheat-producing regions primarily plant winter wheat, with planting areas concentrated in Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hebei, Sichuan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Xinjiang, Shanxi, and Gansu, accounting for about 95% of the total winter wheat area in China. The main spring wheat-producing regions include Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, Heilongjiang, Ningxia, Tianjin, Hebei, and Tibet, with Inner Mongolia having the largest area and Tibet having the highest yield per unit area, followed by Xinjiang.
Production
Over the past five years, China's wheat production has successfully shifted to a yield-per-unit improvement model driven by technology, after fluctuations in 2023 when area expanded but yields were affected by disasters. It has maintained stable production at 140 million tons for two consecutive years, with production efficiency reaching historical peaks.
| Year | Sowing Area (thousand hectares) | Total Production (10,000 tons) | Yield (kg/hectare) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 23,581.8 | 14,007.2 | 5,939.8 |
| 2024 | 23,587.4 | 14,009.9 | 5,939.6 |
| 2023 | 23,627.2 | 13,659.0 | 5,781.0 |
| 2022 | 23,518.5 | 13,772.3 | 5,856.0 |
| 2021 | 23,568.4 | 13,694.6 | 5,810.6 |
TIP
Source: National Bureau of Statistics