China's grain output in 2009 is likely to reach around 520 million tonnes, the official Xinhua News Agency cited a government think tank as saying late Wednesday (April 15).

 

China's 2008 grain output rose for the fifth year in a row to 528.5 million tonnes, up 5.4 percent on year.

 

Oilseeds output this year is expected to rise 5 percent, while meat output may increase 3 percent, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said in its annual report on rural economy, according to Xinhua.

 

The academy also said producer prices of agricultural products will rise by 5 percent this year but the rise will fall 9 percentage points compared with last year.

 

As a result, farmers' average net income in 2009 will continue to increase, but the growth rate will be lower than last year's 8 percent, according to the report.

 

China's total grain acreage in 2009 is expected to rise 1.3 percent on year to 108.14 million hectares, the government said Thursday.

 

The 1.35-million-hectare expansion signals the sixth consecutive year of acreage expansion, Li Xiaochao, spokesman of the National Bureau of Statistics, told a press conference.

 

The winter wheat crop, which is to be harvested in less than two months, is in good condition, he added.

 

The total output of pork, beef and mutton rose 6 percent on year in the first quarter to 16.15 million tonnes, Li added.