China's summer grain to surpass 120 million tonnes

China's summer grain harvest is projected to exceed 120 million tonnes or 2.5 million tonnes more than last year, Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai said Sunday (June 22, 2008).

Sun said that the volume could mark the fifth consecutive summer bumper harvest in China.

Rapeseed output was expected to surge by more than 400,000 tonnes to 11.85 million tonnes, reversing a declining streak for three consecutive years.

Sun noted this year's farm subsidies to soar by 85 percent to RMB95.1 billion (US$13.8 billion).

Summer crops usually account for about 23 percent of the nation's annual grain output.