February 2, 2006

China's 2005 grain production hits 484 million tonnes

In a speech addressing the state of China's economy in 2005, Commissioner Li Deshui of China's National Bureau of Statistics said domestic agriculture production continued to improve during that year with another abundant grain harvest seen.

China's grain output reached 484 million tonnes last year, up by 14.6 million tonnes or 3.1 percent more compared with that in 2004.

Cotton production totalled 5.7 million tonnes, down by 9.8 percent from 2004, while vegetable oil and sugar outputs were generally unchanged.

The domestic livestock industry recovered from the negative impact of bird flu and continued to grow, with meat output up by 6.3 percent from 2004.

According to the China Cotton Association, the country imported 2.57 million tonnes of cotton in 2005, a 35.3 percent increase over 2004.

Cotton imports in December 2005 totalled 350,000 tonnes, 5.9 times that of imports during the same period in 2004, and up by 125,000 tonnes or 55.7 percent more compared with November 2005.

According to the industry, cotton imports in 2005 rose mainly due to the following: 

• Domestic cotton planting area fell compared with that in 2004.
  
  
• Cotton production in the Yangtze and Yellow River basins fell due to prolonged rainy weather.