Agriculture

Hunan lies between 25' - 30 ' N. It has a humid continental and subtropical monsoon climate. Its annual average temperature lies between 16 C- 18 C, and the annual average precipitation is between 1,200 and 1,800 mm. With sufficient sunshine, plentiful rain, distinct seasons and long frost-free periods, Hunan has incredibly favorable conditions for agricultural production.

In recent years, Hunan has kept total grain acreage at a stable level of more than 71 million mu (4.73 million ha.) and a stable grain output of 30.5 million tonnes. It accounted for 4.4 percent of the country's grain production while utilizing only 2.8% of the nation's arable land.

Both the area and output of rice topped the country, pig production ranked second nationwide, and oil-tea camellia ranked first in area, output, and output value. The area of canola ranked first in the country while the output secured the third place. The outputs of vegetables, tea, freshwater products, oranges, and Chinese herbs placed Hunan at the forefront in China, solidifying its status as a major supplier of grain, vegetables, edible oil, and fruits in the country.

According to the provincial statistical communiqué released in March 2025, Hunan's annual total output value of farming, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery reached 871.57 billion CNY in 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of 3.3%. The grain planting area amounted to 4,773.4 thousand hectares, up 9.9 thousand hectares (0.2%) from the previous year. Grain output totaled 30.781 million tonnes, an increase of 101,000 tons (0.3%).

Hunan's planting area of cotton expanded 8.7% to 60.73 thousand hectares, with the output rising 10.2% to 84,000 tonnes. The planting area of sugar crops grew 0.6% to 7.6 thousand hectares. The planting area of oil crops increased 1.6% to 1,641.04 thousand hectares, with a 3.1% increase of yield to 3.022 million tonnes. The output of flue-cured tobacco declined 4.8% to 206,000 tons, while that of tea rose 4.0% to 287,000 tonnes.

The total output of pork, beef, mutton, and poultry meat was 5.732 million tonnes, down 1.1% over the previous year. Milk production increased by 9.2% to 85,000 tonnes. Aquatic product output was up 4.6% to 2.991 million tons.

Through the year, 223,445 hectares of high-standard farmland were newly developed or upgraded. Funding for water conservancy projects amounted to 65.62 billion CNY. By the end of 2024, the total power of Hunan's agricultural machinery reached 69.325 million kilowatts, up 1.4% from the previous year.

Hunan has seen a robust momentum of development in agricultural product export. According to the Changsha Customs statistics, Hunan exported 23.48 billion CNY of agricultural products in 2024, a year-on-year growth of 7.9 percent. It has remained in the front rank nationwide in the export of multiple agricultural products. The major exported products included vegetables, dry and fresh melons, fruits, and nuts, meat, and crayfishes.

Hunan's exports of vegetables reached 771,000 tonnes in 2024, an increase of 9.9% over the same period in 2023. The export value grew 4.6% to 12.96 billion CNY, hitting a record high again and exceeding 10 billion CNY for two consecutive years.

In 2024, Hunan Province exported 11.45 billion CNY of vegetables to Hong Kong, up 6% and accounting for 88.3% of the total in the same period. Exports to ASEAN countries amounted to 1.32 billion CNY, accounting for 10.2% of the total. Those to Indonesia and Vietnam maintained growth. Yongzhou played a leading role in vegetable export. In 2024, its exports of vegetables were worth 11.42 billion CNY, accounting for 88.1% of the provincial total. Huaihua and Changde witnessed rapid growth in vegetable export. Of which, Huaihua's exports of vegetables surged 120.8% to 1.22 billion CNY, while Changde's exports climbed 84.7% to 260 million CNY. Exports of cowpeas, broccoli, and cabbage saw rapid growth.

Mayang has actively expanded its international market. In 2022, 500 tonnes of sweet oranges were exported, followed by 15,000 tonnes in 2023 and 33,000 tonnes in 2024. These fruits are sold to more than ten countries, including Laos and Russia.

In March 2025, the first order of 1,300 barrels of canola oil were delivered to Malaysia from Guzhang County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.

Chinese sources: hunan.gov.cn, Chinanews, Hunan Provincial Bureau of Statistics

Updated in March 2025