July 27, 2010

China aims to maintain annual grain output

China must stabilise its annual grain output at 530 million tonnes or more, a goal stated in the country's 12th five-year guidelines for 2011-2015, Agriculture Minister Han Changfu said Monday (Jul 25).

The country posted a small dip this year in summer grain output, which accounts for about a third of annual grain output, and is keen to maintain or increase its total harvest this year as a top policy priority for its 1.3-billion population.

Last year, China produced 530.82 million tonnes of grain, up 0.4% on-year, marking the sixth consecutive year that grain output had risen.

While the first half of the year set a good foundation for the "agricultural situation" in managing inflation, the country has to fight natural disasters to secure a bumper harvest in the second half, Han said.