China's agriculture sector faces calls for more advanced technology and innovation to enhance yields and food security rather than expanding farmland, according to a rural policy expert.

This perspective follows a state media investigation that accused officials in central China of inflating the size of mandatory rice crops to meet targets. On July 14, the CCTV programme Focus Report aired an investigation revealing that officials in Jianghua Yao, a county in Yongzhou, Hunan province, had misreported the extent of farmland used for rice cultivation.

The officials claimed to have planted 390,000 mu (26,000 hectares) of rice paddies in 2024, meeting their target. However, the actual size of the paddy fields was significantly smaller at 238,000 mu (15,866 hectares), according to the report. This discrepancy was described as “paper farming,” indicating that some crops existed only on paper.

The investigation highlights challenges in ensuring accurate agricultural data and the need for technological solutions to improve food security in China.

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