January 20, 2004

China 2003 Grain Output At Lowest Level Since 1990

China's grain output last year stood at 430.6 million tones, the country's lowest level since 1990, the government said on Tuesday.

China has set its grain output target at 455 million tonnes for 2004, but analysts said this will be difficult to achieve with the weather-damaged winter wheat crop to be harvested in May.

Official figures show China's 2002 grain output was 457 million tonnes.

"Natural disasters, especially drought in Henan and areas in south China, have hurt agricultural development over the past year," the state statistical bureau head, Li Deshui, told a press conference.

China posted record grain harvest in 1998 of 512 million tonnes.

Bureau spokesman Yao Jingyuan said the government had adopted concrete measures to increase grain acreage and farmers' incomes this year in a bid to boost output.