September 29, 2010

China awaits quality autumn harvest for 2010

China is expecting a good harvest this year as farmers have begun to reap crops while autumn drew close, said China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) Tuesday (Sep 28).

The forecast is based upon higher average yields and an estimate that China's planting area for autumn crops rose by 10 million mu (about 667,000 hectares) from one year ago, said the ministry.

According to figures from the MOA, a total of 386 million mu of crops had been harvested by September 27, accounting for 33.3% of the total.

In a break down of the harvest, 140 million mu of corn and 60.7 million mu of soy were harvested, accounting for 28.5% and 46.5% of the total, respectively, said the MOA.

The ministry also arranged for 29 million sets of farm equipment to help with the autumn harvest, it said.

China's grain output reached 530.8 million tonnes in 2009, the sixth consecutive year of growth in grain yield.

In the wake of a severe drought in China's southwestern regions earlier in the year, summer grain output this year stood at 123.1 million tonnes, down 0.3% from one year ago.