August 20, 2012

For a sixth consecutive year in 2012, Southwest China's Sichuan province, a major grain producing base in the country, is expected to achieve a rise in grain output.

The pest plague affecting the paddy growth in the earlier period has been brought under control. If there are no big natural disasters over the following month, the province is anticipated to see bumper harvests of autumn grain.

Sichuan's autumn crop acreage reached 4.94 million hectares this year, up 12,000 hectares over the preceding year. Currently, major autumn crops including rice, corn, and potatoes are showing normal growth.

The province's summer grain output gained 1% over last year to 7.82 million tonnes (tonnes).

Sichuan is one of the biggest agricultural provinces in China and its grain output accounts for more than 5% of the country's total.