September 4, 2007

China may avoid decline in grain output despite bad weather
 

China is unlikely to experience any reduction in total grain output this year despite floods and the worst-ever drought in some areas, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Although grain yields in autumn may decline on-year due to natural disasters, increased autumn grain acreage and the increased use of high-yield grain will help to counter this, Mao Liuxi, senior engineer at the administration, said in an article published on the website of the Dalian Commodity Exchange Tuesday (Sep 4).

In fact, total grain output in 2007 may remain the same as last year or even increase slightly due to bountiful harvests of summer grain and early paddy, said Mao.

China's summer grain output totalled 115 million tonnes in 2007, up 1.46 million tonnes, or 1.3 percent, from a year earlier, according to preliminary data issued by the National Bureau of Statistics.

This represented a fourth straight year of growth, the longest continuous growth since 1985, the statistics bureau said.