Chinese grain firms buy 56.81 million tonnes new corn

By March 10, the grain firms of China bought 56.81 million tonnes of new corn in major producing areas, with state-owned firms' purchases at 13.89 million tonnes or 24% of the total output, according to the State Grain Administration.

Meanwhile, the domestic grain companies had purchased 27 million tonnes of new non-glutinous rice by then, with 61% procured by state firms.

The National Bureau of Statistics said that the country's corn output reached 191.75 million tonnes in 2011, a jump of 8.2% over a year earlier, and its rice production rose 2.6% to 200.78 million tonnes.