Growing rice in China
China grows about 29 million hectares of rice, and the cropping system, not just the variety, decides the calendar: one mid-season crop, or an early crop followed by a late crop. Yields have reached a record, and the sector is shifting from double to single rice as labour costs rise.
Scope: Rice in China based on USDA FAS GAIN reporting, an FAO analysis of rice systems and a two-year double-cropping field study. The system-share figures are from 1997 and are shown as history, not current statistics. Updated 2026-10-03.
At a glance
- Area
- 29.0 million ha harvested (2024/25 and 2025/26)1
- Production
- 207.5 million t rough rice in 2024/25; 209.0 million t forecast for 2025/261
- National yield
- 7.15 t/ha rough in 2024/25, 7.21 forecast for 2025/26 and 7.24 for 2026/27; USDA says 2025 yields were a record1
- Target
- About 9 t/ha in large-scale fields over the next few years1
- Early rice (field study)
- Sown 24–28 March, harvested 14–17 July; 120 kg N/ha; 25 × 14 cm3
- Late rice (field study)
- Sown 26 June–1 July, harvested 14–25 October; 150 kg N/ha; 25 × 16 cm3
- Mid-season rice
- Sown 8–10 May, harvested 29–30 September; 195–225 kg N/ha3
- 1997 system shares
- Single rice 46% of area, late 28%, early 26% (historical)2
Planting and harvest calendar for China
Use the source-backed production windows to coordinate establishment, crop care and harvest. Production districts and cultivars can have different cycles; the historical climate adds context for the field plan.
Planting: By system: early rice March, mid-season rice May, late rice late June–July3
A two-year double-cropping field study sowed early rice on 24–28 March, mid-season rice on 8–10 May and late rice on 26 June–1 July. Single rice is sown once (mid-season); double rice needs both an early and a late crop. Dates move with latitude and variety.
Harvest: Early rice mid-July; mid-season rice late September; late rice October3
The same study harvested early rice on 14–17 July, mid-season rice on 29–30 September and late rice on 14–25 October. These are one site over two years, not a national calendar.
Historical monthly climate
Reference period: 1996-01-01 to 2025-12-31. ERA5-Land monthly mean soil temperature at 0–7 cm, air temperature and frost days at the regional reference point (34, 113). Select a month to inspect its historical conditions.
Month tiles show mean topsoil temperature.
March historical conditions
- Mean topsoil temperature
- 10.8°C
- Mean air temperature
- 10.5°C
- Mean frost days per month
- 3.4 days
These are monthly means at one reference location. They describe seasonal field conditions, not crop maturity, actual seed-zone conditions, frost forecasts or a planting recommendation. Harvest bands follow the crop-specific production sources above.
Climate source: Open-Meteo Historical Weather APIPick the system before the variety
- Single rice46 % of area
- Late rice28 % of area
- Early rice26 % of area
- Early, late and single rice
- In 1997 early rice was 26% of China's rice area, single rice 46% and late rice 28%. FAO noted that the double-rice area had been shrinking and single rice growing since the 1970s because of economic constraints. USDA now reports the same direction as labour costs rise.1,2
- Indica and japonica
- USDA FAS describes the major Indica regions of southern China and the Japonica regions of the Northeast. In 2025 the area of high-quality rice expanded in both, and premium Indica rice in the South posted moderate yield gains and better milling quality.1
- Early-season readiness
- In late February 2026 early-rice nursery work was starting in southern China: over 0.9 million ha of early rice seedlings were being grown in Guangdong with 175 new centralised seedling centres.1
Dates and inputs by crop
| Crop | Sowing | Harvest | Spacing | N (kg/ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early rice | 24 Mar / 28 Mar | 14 Jul / 17 Jul | 25 × 14 cm | 120 |
| Mid-season rice | 8 May / 10 May | 29 Sep / 30 Sep | not given | 195 / 225 |
| Late rice | 26 Jun / 1 Jul | 14 Oct / 25 Oct | 25 × 16 cm | 150 |
Sources3
- Early rice120 kg N/ha
- Late rice150 kg N/ha
- Mid-season rice (2021)195 kg N/ha
- Mid-season rice (2022)225 kg N/ha
- Early rice
- Sown in late March and harvested in mid July, with 120 kg N/ha, hand-transplanted at 25 × 14 cm. Yields in the study's CRR treatment were 7.48 t/ha in 2021 and 6.86 t/ha in 2022.3
- Late rice
- Sown in late June or early July and harvested in mid to late October, with 150 kg N/ha at 25 × 16 cm. Yields were 7.08 t/ha in 2021 and 7.05 t/ha in 2022, so the CRR double-rice annual total was 14.56 and 13.92 t/ha.3
- One site, two years
- These are one study's dates over two seasons, not a national recommendation. Dates shift by latitude and variety.3
Yield, prices and the labour question
- 2024/25 national7.15 t/ha
- 2025/26 forecast7.21 t/ha
- 2026/27 forecast7.24 t/ha
- Large-scale target9 t/ha
- Policy price floor
- The 2025 minimum support price for early Indica rice was about $353 per tonne (RMB 2,560), up RMB 20 from 2024; mid-to-late Indica and Japonica MSPs were unchanged. Purchases at the MSP were launched in Heilongjiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Henan and Hunan in 2025 because prices fell below it.1
- Yield gaps and potassium
- FAO's 1997 analysis found yield gaps of 1.4 t/ha for early rice, 1.5 t/ha for single rice and 2.1 t/ha for late rice, and ranked potassium deficiency as the top nutrient constraint (12.6% loss in early rice, 14.9% in late rice). This is old, but it still marks where soil testing should start.2
- Hybrids
- By 1997 hybrid rice occupied 54.5% of China's rice area and yielded about 15% more than inbred varieties; USDA now credits better seed, high-standard farmland and machinery for the record 2025 yield.1,2
- Test your own site
- Run a field audit for your coordinates to compare your climate and water with rice requirements, then put your own labour and price into the crop ROI estimator.1
Frequently asked questions
- How much rice does China grow?
- About 207.5 million tonnes of rough rice in 2024/25 from 29.0 million hectares, with 209.0 million tonnes forecast for 2025/26 (USDA FAS).
- What is the average rice yield in China?
- About 7.15 tonnes per hectare of rough rice in 2024/25; USDA forecasts 7.21 t/ha for 2025/26 and 7.24 t/ha for 2026/27 and reports record yields in 2025.
- When is rice planted in China?
- It depends on the system. In a double-cropping study, early rice was sown in late March, mid-season rice around 8–10 May and late rice in late June or early July.
- What is double rice in China?
- An early rice crop (harvested around mid July) followed by a late rice crop (harvested in October). The area is shrinking as labour costs rise and farmers switch to single rice.
- How much nitrogen does rice need in China?
- A field study used 120 kg N/ha for early rice, 150 for late rice and 195–225 for mid-season rice.
- How far apart is rice transplanted in China?
- The study transplanted early rice at 25 × 14 cm and late rice at 25 × 16 cm.
Regional rice guides
Local dates, soil-temperature history and sources for specific regions:
Sources and image credits
- 1. USDA FAS — China Grain and Feed Annual (CH2026-0033) — 19 March 2026. Rice area, production and yield 2024/25–2026/27, minimum support prices, early-rice preparation and quality trends.
- 2. FAO — Bridging the rice yield gap in China (Zhu Defeng) — 1997 data. Historical rice-system shares, regional yields, yield gaps, potassium constraint and hybrid adoption.
- 3. Comparative analysis of rice yield and economic performance across different planting patterns in double-cropping rice systems under global warming — 2025. Two-year (2021–2022) field study: sowing and harvest dates, nitrogen, spacing and yields of early, late and mid-season rice.
Figures are published averages or study assumptions for the places named, not guarantees for your field. Check current local recommendations and product labels before acting.