Heilongjiang's autumn grain quality better than those of 2007

China's autumn grain harvested at Heilongjiang province, a major producer, is of better quality this year compared to 2007 and may then help boost prices, according to a report in Harbin Daily, a regional newspaper.

The quality of rice and corn is better than last year, according to the report, which was published on the Dalian Commodity Exchange's Web site Monday, 27 November 2008.

Rice of average quality or above accounted for 91 percent of the total rice harvested in the province, up 1.6 percentage points against 2007.

Corn of average quality or above accounted for 61 percent of the total corn harvest, up 13.2 percentage points compared to 2007.

China's total grain output this year is likely to rise for the fifth year in a row and hit record high, said government officials earlier this month.