BEIJING -- China has seen a net increase in the total area of farmland for three consecutive years, reversing years of shrinking, China's Ministry of Natural Resources announced Thursday.

Since 2021, the total area of the country's farmland has expanded by 17.58 million mu (about 1.17 million hectares), said Liu Guohong, vice-minister of natural resources, in a press conference.

He attributed the significant achievement to the country's sustained efforts to focus on farmland as the lifeline of grain production, improved measures in carrying out reforms, and an accountability mechanism regarding farmland protection.

Liu noted that a dynamic control system at the provincial level has been established to ensure that the total amount of farmland remains balanced. Economic incentives have also been introduced to ensure that efforts to protect farmland are recognized.

China continues to prioritize grain security as it feeds over 1.4 billion people with only 9 percent of the world's arable land. Over the past years, various measures have been implemented to improve grain output, including building more high-standard farmland and promoting agricultural technologies.

The country reported its largest grain output increase in nine years this summer, driven by a bumper wheat harvest.