By the end of July, the national winter wheat harvest was complete, and the early rice harvest was also largely concluded. The planting of late rice is nearing completion. In the northern regions, the spring maize crop is in the silking stage, while the summer maize crop is in the jointing stage. The soybean crop in the northeast is currently in the flowering and podding stage, while in northern China, the crop is still in the three-leaf stage. The majority of mid-season rice is currently in the jointing and booting stages.

The latest agricultural meteorological indicators indicate that temperatures in the northeast have increased by 1-2°C this month, accompanied by a rise in precipitation levels. In comparison to June, the current heat conditions are significantly more favourable, and soil moisture levels are adequate. This has effectively mitigated the previous adverse effects on corn, soybeans and rice caused by low temperatures and insufficient sunlight. Consequently, there has been a notable enhancement in crop growth. In the majority of regions in the north-west, the prevailing conditions of light, temperature and moisture are conducive to the growth and development of crops such as maize and cotton. However, crop growth is not optimal in certain regions of Shaanxi and Shanxi. In the Huang-Huai-Hai region, the increased precipitation has effectively alleviated the drought conditions that occurred during the summer grain planting season in the provinces of Hebei, Henan and Shandong. However, the prolonged rainfall has also resulted in waterlogging in some areas of northern Jiangsu and Anhui, which has had a detrimental impact on crop growth. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and in southern China, prolonged heavy rains have caused waterlogging in some low-lying farmland. The persistent rain is unfavourable for harvesting and drying early rice in southern China, although good crop growth is reported in most areas. In the southwest, crop growth is slightly below average. Overall, crop growth is close to normal across the country.

Fig.1 National vegetation index distance plot for cropland areas in late July 2024