Early rice harvests up 8.8% to 32.1m tons (CCTV) Updated: 2004-10-08 15:20
The National Bureau of Statistics says China's
early rice harvests reached 32.1 million tons this year. That's up 8.8 percent
over last year.
Sources say China's grain production is at a turning point, poised to resume
rapid growth and development.
The amount of grain produced in China had been declining for four consecutive
years until last year. But since late 2003, China has implemented a series of
supportive policies. These include stricter protection on arable land, direct
subsidies for grain growers, and tax cuts and exemptions, to promote grain
production.
Reform of the grain distribution system is also among the new measures.
The Agriculture Ministry hopes to plant 700,000 hectares more wheat during
this year's autumn and winter planting, than last year. This could lead to a
4-percent increase in output, for next year's summer harvest.
