2025 has emerged as a pivotal year for China's combine harvester industry, marked by unprecedented growth driven by policy support, technological innovation and expanding global footprint. As the backbone of modern agricultural mechanization, Chinese
combine harvesters are breaking new ground in intelligence, green energy and scenario adaptation, reshaping both domestic farming practices and the global agricultural equipment market. With the global harvester market poised to reach $250 billion by 2027, Chinese products are becoming a dominant force in the sector.
Policy incentives have laid a solid foundation for the industry's leap. In 2025, China's domestic combine harvester market scaled 667.02 billion RMB, fueled by targeted government subsidies. The subsidy ratio for smart harvesters has been raised to over 40%, up from 30% for traditional models, while a 5 billion RMB central budget fund supports technological upgrading. This policy boost has driven a 35% year-on-year surge in smart combine harvester sales compared to 2023, with the stock equipment renovation market releasing a 18 billion RMB demand. "Policy guidance has effectively bridged the R&D and market gap, accelerating the industrialization of high-end products," noted an official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
Technological iteration has become the core competitiveness, with intelligence and green energy leading the transformation. Smart
combine harvesters integrated with IoT, big data and Beidou navigation systems have achieved a 20% efficiency increase and 15% fuel reduction. By 2025, the penetration rate of such smart models has exceeded 20%, with their market scale breaking 20 billion RMB and a CAGR of 20%. Leading enterprises like Lovol Heavy Industry launched high-end multi-functional combine harvesters in July 2025, reducing harvest loss rate by 30% and improving efficiency by 20% through optimized threshing and cleaning systems.
The shift to new energy is also gaining momentum amid the national IV emission standards. Electric and hybrid
combine harvesters are gradually replacing traditional diesel models, with their market share expected to rise from 5% to 12% by the end of 2025. Wode Agricultural Machinery's electric harvesters were put into use in Jiangsu's rice fields in October 2025, featuring compact structure and zero emissions. Meanwhile, a hydrogen fuel cell combine harvester, co-developed by Tsinghua University and a leading farming equipment enterprise, entered the pilot phase in September, paving the way for long-duration, high-intensity green operations.
Scenario-specific products have addressed the long-standing challenge of uneven mechanization across regions. For Chinese 680 million mu of hilly and mountainous farmland accounting for 34% of the total, lightweight combine harvesters with 1.2-1.8 meter working width and 800-1200kg weight have become popular. These models boast over 60% better passability in complex terrains, with a failure rate below 5%. Southwest China in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing accounts for 37.2% of the lightweight harvester demand, with Yunnan's ownership exceeding 42,000 units in 2024.
Overseas expansion has become a new growth engine for Chinese manufacturers. Benefiting from the RCEP agreement, China's corn combine harvesters saw export volume grow by 53% in 2025, with an 18% price drop, pushing its market share in Southeast Asia to 19% from 7% in 2022. In the first quarter of 2025, China's agricultural machinery exports surged by 25.7% year-on-year, with products entering Europe, Africa and Central Asia. "Our smart combine harvesters have gained recognition in Europe for their modular design and adaptability," said a representative of Zoomlion Heavy Industry.
Despite achievements, challenges remain, including core component bottlenecks and high-end talent shortages. Industry insiders believe that continuous R&D investment and cross-sector cooperation will drive further progress. As 2025 draws to a close, Chinese combine harvesters are not just tools for harvest, but catalysts for a more efficient, green and global agricultural future.
