November 5, 2007

China's 2007 grain supply, demand "tightly balanced"

China's grain supply and demand are still "tightly balanced" despite output possibly increasing for the fourth straight year, said a senior grain official.

Grain consumption has been outstripping output this year, said Cao Liying, deputy chief of the State Grain Administration.

However, there would be no shortage of grain supply as the country's stocks remain at high levels, she added.

The expected increase in the autumn grain crop for 2007 would help the country's total grain output to increase for the fourth straight year, she said.

China's summer grain output this year totaled 115.34 million tonnes, up 1.3 percent on-year.