Enterprises in China's major grain-producing areas have purchased over 100 million tonnes of autumn grains, reaching a high level compared to the same period in recent years, according to the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.

The smooth and steady purchasing season is underpinned by robust state policy support, designed to protect farmers' interests and prevent market volatility from harming agricultural incomes.

To shield growers when market prices dip, China Grain Reserves Group (Sinograin) initiated its minimum-purchase-price policy for middle- and late-season rice across qualified areas in six major provinces: Hubei, Hunan, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Jiangxi. Under this framework, price-support buying is activated when monitored market acquisition prices fall below the national minimum threshold for three consecutive days, and ceases once market rates recover.

"I farm over 400 mu (about 26.7 hectares)," Yu Zhenglin, a major grain grower in Luoshan county in central China's Henan Province, told China Media Group (CMG). "With the national minimum-purchase-price policy in effect, selling to the state earns us more than 0.2 yuan (about $0.03) extra per jin (approx. 0.5 kg)."

Local grain reserve depots have significantly upgraded their services to streamline deliveries – covering sampling, testing, weighing and warehousing. Sinograin has announced over 140 minimum-purchase storage locations with a capacity exceeding 3.3 million tonnes.

"To speed up unloading, our weighbridge operates from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. daily without stopping the equipment, ensuring farmers can sell their grain quickly," said Mei Changjun, head of a grain acquisition depot in Luoshan County.

To handle the heavy influx, nine direct enterprises dispatched 13 specialized workgroups to the Xinyang directly affiliated grain reserve depot, pushing daily acquisitions past 8,000 tonnes through extended shifts, according to Wang Jiazhen, head of the grain reserve depot.

Simultaneously, Sinograin has leveraged reserve rotation purchases across major production belts like Jiangxi, Hunan and Hubei, entering the market at prices slightly above prevailing rates to incentivize broader commercial participation and stabilize the broader agricultural market.