China may still see good autumn grain harvest in 2009
China may still see a good autumn harvest of grain if there are no big natural disasters in the interim, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
Although drought in the north hit major grain areas during the crucial growth period, increased autumn grain area, good growth conditions earlier and better grain growth in areas that haven't suffered from drought can help to offset the negatives, spokesman Chen Mengshan said in a media briefing published Monday on the ministry Web site.
Autumn grain areas are estimated to have risen 1.2 percent this year to 75.33 million hectares, Chen said.
But insects, early frost or other disasters could still threaten the crops between now and the harvest in about a month, he said.
The autumn harvest accounts for more than 70 percent of China total grain output.
As of Sunday (August 30), the area in five northern provinces hit by drought was down 51 percent from the peak level at 4.79 million hectares. Of the total area, 31 percent was still suffering from acute drought conditions, down 62 percent from the peak level, Chen said.
Drought in most of the areas previously affected in southern China had been relieved, and most of the affected areas were in non-grain producing regions, he said.
The output of China summer harvest of grain - mostly grown in eastern areas prior to the drought - was up for the sixth year in a row to 123.35 million tonnes in 2009, with summer-harvested rapeseed output at an all-time high of 12.9 million tonnes.
Meanwhile, recent increases in prices of some agricultural products such as hogs and eggs weren't a concern, as those prices had been falling earlier.
"It normal to see a recovery in prices as demand for eggs increases rapidly ahead of the coming mid-autumn festival, which usually sees prices peak for the year," he said.
The government reserves of agricultural products are sufficient, guaranteeing adequate supplies during the National Day holiday and mid-autumn festival, Chen said.
