BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- China's Cabinet on
Wednesday approved a plan to ensure the country would be 95 percent
self-sufficient in grain over the next 12 years after hearing how farmers faced
tremendous challenges in increasing output.
The State Council agreed at an executive meeting the
plan to ensure grain output exceeds 500 billion kilograms until 2010, and
reaches 540 billion kg by 2020.
Sprawling industrialization and urbanization pushed
up demand, while land and water shortages, as well as climate change, hurt
production, the meeting, presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao, heard.
The State Council agreed the country faced grim
challenges in grain security.
They approved a mid to long-term plan to ensure
national grain security, which would make the country more than 95 percent
self-sufficient.
Relentless efforts should be made to ensure a minimum
of 120 million hectares of arable land. Agriculture infrastructure and water
facilities should also be improved, the meeting was told.
Grain production subsidies would increase annually to
boost farmers' incomes, but no details were given.
They also approved a plan to help the northwestern
Jilin Province, one of the major grain-producing provinces, to increase output
by more than 5 billion kg in five years, as a matter of strategic importance to
national grain security.
China produced 501.5 million tons of grain last year,
15 million tons less than the total demand.
However, Premier Wen Jiabao has said the country has
40 to 50 million tons of rice reserves to cushion it against global price rises.
This year, the country could see the fifth
consecutive bumper harvest of summer grain, the first such run of harvests since
1949,the Ministry of Agriculture has said.
The summer crops, which usually account for about 23
percent of the nation's annual grain output, would surpass the 115.34 billion kg
for 2007, the ministry said.
BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- This summer's grain harvest
could greatly help China to ease inflation pressure, Ma Xiaohe, a senior
researcher with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), told
Xinhua on Monday.
The crop is predicted to top 120 million tonnes this
summer, 2.5 million tonnes more than a year ago, said Agriculture MinisterSun
Zhengcai on Sunday. Full story
BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China's crop output is
forecast to exceed 120 million tons this summer, 2.5 million tons more than a
year ago, Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai said here on Sunday.
This would mark the fifth consecutive summer of bumper
harvest for the first time since the founding of the People's Republic of China
in 1949, Sun said during a countryside tour in Beijing. Full story
BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- China could see the fifth
consecutive bumper harvest of summer grain for the first time since the founding
of the new China, Xinhua learnt from sources with the Ministry of Agriculture on
Tuesday.
The total summer crop output for this year will definitely
surpass the 115.34 billion kilogrammes for 2007, after 85 percent of the wheat
has been harvested, according to the ministry. Full story
