On December 2, 2025, Henan province released its annual wheat quality report, revealing strong results for the year. The province's summer wheat output totaled 75 billion jin ( 37.5 million metric tons). Notably, 99% of the wheat was graded above Grade III, and 69.5% met high-quality standards.
As the "Granary of the Central Plains", which produces over a quarter of the nation's wheat, Henan has been conducting annual wheat quality surveys for 25 consecutive years. This year marks the 14th public release of the results. The survey covered all 17 of Henan's prefecture-level cities and Jiyuan Industry-City Integration Demonstration Zone, with 3,571 samples from 590 wheat varieties collected for quality grading and 545 samples from 176 varieties tested for quality, offering solid backing for the industry's growth.
According to Hao Baoqing, Director of the Industrial Development Division at Henan's Bureau of Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, the wheat quality data shows an average specific weight of 794g/L, with 12 prefecture-level cities, including Jiaozuo, Puyang, and Luohe, meeting Grade I standards. The average moisture content stands at 11.3%, and the defective grain rate is 2.5%, both lower than last year, with the latter reaching a recent low. The average thousand-kernel weight is 45.1g, indicating plump and well-filled grains.
The quality of the wheat is equally impressive, with 69.5% of the samples meeting the national high-quality wheat standards, aligning with the nearly 70% high-quality rate and the proportion of top-grade wheat. The average crude protein content is 14.1%, and the average wet gluten content is 32.5%, with the food score improving by 16 points compared to last year. The distribution of wheat varieties by gluten strength, strong, medium, and weak, is well-defined, with high-quality varieties such as Xinmai 26, Bainong 1316, and Aikang 58 performing especially well. Moreover, 13% of the samples meet the local standards, indicating that the high-quality wheat supply system is gradually taking shape. (Chinese source: Henan Daily Reporter: Li Ruofan Translator: Yang Jiaxin Proofreader: Ding Lan and Zhao Hanqing)
