China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has asked authorities in the country's major wheat-planting areas to work to achieve quick summer grain harvests despite the difficult weather.

 

This year's summer harvest has proven more difficult than usual because the ripening of winter wheat has taken place one week later than normal because of the bitterly cold weather last winter, while the consistently heavy rains that recently struck south China have impeded the harvest efforts, the MOA said.

 

The ministry said local authorities should prioritise the harvest work and complete the harvest as quickly as possible. Reaping machine should be distributed properly in different locations to raise the harvesting efficiency, it added. Also, local departments should update information such as weather, market demands, prices and transportation to ensure a smooth harvest.

 

China's four major grain production areas have shown cautious optimism toward their 2010 summer grain output. Henan, Shandong and Anhui provinces expect output of wheat to be equal or slightly higher than last year, while Hebei province forecasts slightly reduced output, according to information coming from a high level agriculture meeting held earlier in May in Zhengzhou city, the capital of Henan province.

 

According to the MOA data, China's summer grain production accounts for one quarter of its annual food yield.