October 12, 2006

Yields from model farm give hope to record corn yields in China
 

Corn yields on a model farm in north-east China have climbed to a record high of 16.8 tonnes per hectare, giving rise to hopes that China would see record corn yields this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

News of the higher corn yields brought greater assurance to the food security of the country, said Wang Pu, a researcher with the ministry.

The results were based on the yields of a two-hectare model farms in Jilin province, Wang said. Jilin is a major corn-producing province in China.

This meant yields in sub-arid areas would probably rise from 6.8 tonnes to 9 tonnes and areas of the province with sufficient rainfall would see yields rising from 7.5 tonnes to 9 tonnes.

Last year, China produced about 134 million tonnes of corn from 26.7 million hectares, an average yield of 5.2 tonnes per hectare.

China's food production was falling between 1999 and 2003 and only started to rise from 2004 as yields climbed.