May 28, 2008
Expected good summer grain harvest brings cheer to China
China is expecting a good summer grain harvest despite a massive quake that damaged agricultural lands in Sichuan province on May 12.
"If no severe disastrous weather conditions develop, the unit production of the nation's summer grain harvest will hit a record high with the total output rising for a fifth consecutive year," Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai has said.
Summer grain usually takes up about 23 percent of the nation's annual grain output. China's grain production last year was at 500 million tonnes.
The expected good harvest will apparently add to China's grain reserves, which, including this year's output, was considered "more than enough to feed its people" by Zeng Liying, State Administration of Grain deputy director.
China's grain supply will not be affected as most of the quake-affected areas are mountainous and barren, said Wan Fushi, an official with the Crop Production Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Meanwhile, UN's FAO ( Food and Agricultural Organisation) said last week that the food price index had remained stable since February, but the average of the first four months was still 53 percent higher when compared to the same period a year ago.
The FAO's latest forecast for world cereal production in 2008 points to a record output, now at nearly 2.192 billion tonnes, up 3.8 percent from 2007.
However, rising global demand is expected to absorb most of the increase, leaving little for replenishment of grain stocks, which are at their lowest in 30 years.
A State Administration of Grain official said earlier that China's ratio of reserves to consumption was much higher than the 17-18 percent level regarded by the FAO as a safe minimum for global stocks.
The nation has grain reserves of 150 to 200 million tonnes, a Ministry of Agriculture official said. But the minister admitted maintaining near self-sufficiency in grain would become harder as Chinese consumers demand more diversified and higher-quality grain products.
