BEIJING, CHINA — More than 134 million tonnes of wheat have been harvested in China in 2021, a 2% increase from last year’s output, according to the National Statistics Bureau (NSB).

The rise in production is due to increased planted area and yield, the NSB said. It noted that wheat acreage and yield rose 0.9% and 1.1%, respectively.

Total summer grains output rose 2% from 2020 to 145.82 million tonnes, NBS said. Planted area for all summer grains rose 1% from the previous year, marking the first increase in six years.

Partly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, China has strengthened its focus on food security and pledged to increase grain supplies. Earlier this week, it announced plans to increase its grain stockpiling program with the addition of 10.85 million tonnes of storage capacity. It currently has more than 650 million tonnes of storage capacity.

The total volume of China’s grain reserves is not made public.

China, the world’s top wheat producer, will be almost entirely self-sufficient in staple grains such as rice and wheat by 2025, according to the China Agricultural Sector Development Report released on May 25.