Abstract: The middle area of the Yangtze River (Hunan, Jiangxi and Hubei) is one of China’s main grain production areas. Whether the food in this area is safe or not directly affects the food security of China. First, the paper analyzes the present situation of grain production in this area from the absolute and relative perspectives. The results show that, over the past 10 years, on the one hand, the total grain production in the region has been steadily increased with increasing planting area, and its growth is unsustainable. The planting structure has also been gradually changed in the area. The increase of the area of staple food (rice) is much larger than that of wheat and potatoes, especially the growth rate of beans. On the other hand, from the national perspective, the rate of starch production(rice) of the middle area of the Yangtze River accounting for the national proportion tend to decrease, while the rate of total food production has substantially increased. Secondly, the plight of grain production and development in this area are deeply analyzed, and six problems are pointed out such as Farmers’ (households’) lack of enthusiasm, weak infrastructure of the farmland water conservancy, the serious degeneration of the quality of cultivated land, low level of industrialization, the low overall level of agricultural science and technology and the structural defects of grain production. Finally, the strategic countermeasures for the development of grain production are put forward in order to provide reference for ensuring food security in this area.