China's '09 winter wheat output seen up two million tonnes

China's winter wheat output for 2009 is expected to rise two million tonnes on year, an official with a think tank said Thursday, citing Ministry of Agriculture data.

Speaking at an industry conference in Beijing, Xu Xiaoqing, deputy director of the Rural Economy Research Department under the State Council's Development and Research Center, didn't provide any reasons for the expected output growth.

Meanwhile, domestic agricultural products prices face increasing downward pressure due to the ongoing financial crisis, said Xu.