China eyes better grain harvest this year
Sunday, 18 July 2010
BEIJING, July 17 (Commodity Online): World's leading grain producer, China said its overall production looks good for the year despite a low key summer harvest due to floods and droughts in main growing areas.
In its latest report, China's National Bureau of Statistics said output of grain harvested this summer fell for the first time in seven years, hitting 123.1 million tonnes, which is 390,000 tonnes less than last year.
However, winter wheat, which accounts for more than 90 per cent of the country's total wheat output, hit 108.8 million tonnes this year, about 1 million tonnes more than last year, despite extreme weather conditions, like lower temperature this spring and heavy snow before summer.
The acreage planted with autumn grains, including corn, was higher than last year and crops were growing better so far this year than in 2009.
Total wheat output in China, the world's biggest wheat grower, is likely to hit 115 million tonnes this year, the seventh consecutive year to record an increase since 2003, the report said.
The recent floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain have damaged about 1.9 million hectares of farmland, of which 252,800 hectares faced total crop failure, between July 1 and July 13.
The total grain yield of China's three main crops - rice, wheat and corn was 470.27 million tonnes in 2008, only 17.29 per cent of which came from the disaster-stricken areas.
Early this year, a severe drought that hit five provinces in Southwest China had affected nearly 5.3 million hectares of arable land, about 86 per cent of the country's total affected.
The drought was the main reason for the drop in the summer grain output, which in Guizhou and Yunnan provinces was down 1.69 million tonnes.
China plans to guarantee its grain output this year, hitting at least 500 million tonnes and increasing farmers' incomes by 6 per cent.
In its latest report, China's National Bureau of Statistics said output of grain harvested this summer fell for the first time in seven years, hitting 123.1 million tonnes, which is 390,000 tonnes less than last year.
However, winter wheat, which accounts for more than 90 per cent of the country's total wheat output, hit 108.8 million tonnes this year, about 1 million tonnes more than last year, despite extreme weather conditions, like lower temperature this spring and heavy snow before summer.
The acreage planted with autumn grains, including corn, was higher than last year and crops were growing better so far this year than in 2009.
Total wheat output in China, the world's biggest wheat grower, is likely to hit 115 million tonnes this year, the seventh consecutive year to record an increase since 2003, the report said.
The recent floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain have damaged about 1.9 million hectares of farmland, of which 252,800 hectares faced total crop failure, between July 1 and July 13.
The total grain yield of China's three main crops - rice, wheat and corn was 470.27 million tonnes in 2008, only 17.29 per cent of which came from the disaster-stricken areas.
Early this year, a severe drought that hit five provinces in Southwest China had affected nearly 5.3 million hectares of arable land, about 86 per cent of the country's total affected.
The drought was the main reason for the drop in the summer grain output, which in Guizhou and Yunnan provinces was down 1.69 million tonnes.
China plans to guarantee its grain output this year, hitting at least 500 million tonnes and increasing farmers' incomes by 6 per cent.