Photo taken on Oct. 3, 2022 shows a paddy field of Yanjiagang Farm Co., Ltd. of Beidahuang Group in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

HARBIN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, known as the country's "grain barn," produced about 77.63 billion kilograms of grain in 2022, accounting for 11.3 percent of the country's total, official data showed on Monday.

The figure shows that the province has maintained its annual grain output at over 75 billion kilograms for five years, and that its annual grain output has ranked first in the country for 13 consecutive years, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Heilongjiang's grain output this year was its second-highest in history, lower than last year mainly due to a significant increase in its low-yielding soybean area and the adjustment of its grain-growing structure.

Heilongjiang is the largest soybean-producing area in China, with its soybean planting area accounting for more than 40 percent of the country's total. This year, it will expand its soybean planting area by more than 10 million mu (about 666,667 hectares).