China's summer wheat harvest is accelerating across major grain-producing regions as farmers race to bring in crops before a new round of rainfall arrives this week.

Meanwhile, authorities have mobilized machinery, technical support and emergency services to safeguard grain production.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, farmers had harvested 6.35 million hectares of winter wheat by Monday evening — about 28 percent of the country's summer grain crop.

On Monday alone, 1.27 million hectares were harvested, more than four times the area collected on the same day last year. Nearly 229,400 combine harvesters were operating nationwide, compared with about 78,300 a year earlier.

China planted about 22.6 million hectares of winter wheat for the 2025-26 growing season. The summer grain harvest, dominated by winter wheat, is a critical component of the country's annual grain production.

Among major producing regions, wheat harvesting in Anhui province has passed the halfway mark, while neighboring Henan province, China's largest wheat-producing region, has completed more than 35 percent of its harvest.

Harvesting has surpassed 10 percent in Jiangsu and Shaanxi provinces, while operations have begun on a limited scale in the provinces of Shandong and Shanxi. The harvest in southwestern China has been completed, the ministry said.

In Zhoukou's Shenqiu county, Henan province, 68,000 hectares of wheat are entering the peak harvest period. At a 133-hectare wheat production base in Lizhai village, rows of combine harvesters are operating, threshing and returning straw to the fields, allowing farmers to maximize efficiency during the narrow harvest window.

"Taking advantage of the current stretch of sunny weather, we have deployed more than 10 combine harvesters and are conducting round-the-clock harvesting operations to complete harvesting, drying and storage as quickly as possible and minimize losses," said Liu Dongfang, deputy general manager of Lizhai Agricultural Development, which operates the farmland.

Li Penghui, deputy Party secretary of Lizhai, said since harvesting began, village officials have been coordinating machinery deployment and staggered harvesting schedules while ensuring road access and safety inspections to guarantee a smooth harvest.

This year's harvest is characterized by high levels of mechanization, the use of intelligent equipment and strong support services, local officials said. Technical teams have been dispatched to towns and villages to provide machinery maintenance, operational guidance and scheduling assistance.

"We have opened a 24-hour hotline to respond to machinery operators' needs and ensured that repair stations are fully stocked with spare parts," said Liu Tao, director of the Shenqiu Agricultural Machinery Technology Center.

To minimize weather-related risks nationwide, authorities in nine key wheat-producing regions have mobilized more than 3,300 agricultural machinery service centers and nearly 5,900 emergency machinery operation teams.

The effort aims to ensure that mature wheat is harvested promptly and that sufficient grain-drying capacity is available where needed, the ministry said.

According to the China Meteorological Administration, a new round of widespread rainfall is expected to begin on Wednesday. Heavy rain is forecast in Jiangsu and southern Anhui, although agriculture officials said harvesting in those areas will largely be completed before the forecasted rainfall.

Scattered showers are expected across much of Shandong, northeastern Henan and northern Jiangsu. Since large-scale harvesting has yet to begin in many of those areas, officials said the overall impact on harvest progress should be limited.

Local governments have been urged to prioritize harvesting in early-maturing fields whenever weather conditions allow.

Qi Xin in Zhengzhou contributed to this story.

zhaoyimeng@chinadaily.com.cn