BEIJING - The role of China's agricultural sector in the economy is proving to be significant amid the COVID-19 epidemic, according to a report released by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Wednesday.

China's agricultural sector was less directly affected by the COVID-19 epidemic compared with the industrial and service sectors, said the report, predicting that the country's grain output will reach 670 million tonnes in 2020. This will provide strong support for achieving the economic and social development goals for 2020.

China's agriculture and food system is less dependent on the international market compared with other sectors, with both its export share of the entire output and its import share of the entire demand below 5 percent. As a result, employment in the agriculture-food system is about to return to normal even without a complete recovery of the import and export trade, said the report.

The agriculture-food system includes sectors of agriculture and food processing, and those related to the industrial chains such as intermediate inputs, storage, transportation, sales and catering industries.