December 6, 2006

Corn output in China's Jilin to hit 19.25 million tonnes in 2006

China's largest corn producing province, Jilin, is expected to produce 19.25 million tonnes of corn in 2006, the Ministry of Agriculture said Tuesday (Dec 5).

In a statement on its website, the ministry said Jilin's corn output will rise 3.2 percent from the previous year, with the province's total grain production expected to rise 2.7 percent to 26.5 million tonnes.

Jilin's corn acreage reached 2.9 million hectares this year, compared with 2.87 million hectares in 2005, the ministry added.

Meanwhile, Jilin's rice production is expected to reach 5 million tonnes this year, up from 4.8 million tonnes in 2005, while soybean output will be 1.1 million tonnes, down 14.1 percent, the statement said.

China's corn production will top 142 million tonnes this year, up from 139.4 million tonnes in 2005, according to forecasts by the China National Grains & Oils Information Centre, which is under the State Grain Administration.