Xu Shiqiang, a farmer in Xiaozhao Village of east China's Shandong Province, harvested his long-waited happiness this year and was expecting a net income of 90,000 yuan (10,870 US dollars) from grain crops.

After reaping 45,000 kilograms of wheat this summer, he had another bumper harvest of corn of 50,000 kilograms in the autumn.

"I began to grow grain crops on my 7-hectare farmland in 1997, but I've never seen a year as good as this year," said Xu. "All happened this year -- the weather is good for grain crops, the grain price is satisfying, and more importantly, the government policy to grain farmers is so good."

In China's major grain production provinces, like Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Henan and Anhui, grain farmers share Xu's happiness of good harvest.

In Shandong, total grain output reached 35 billion kilograms, up 3 percent over last year. In Heilongjiang, grain output had an all-time high of 31 billion kilograms, up 25 percent year on year.

Henan Province, which accounts for one tenth of China's total grain production, harvested 42.7 billion kilograms of grain this year, 7 billion kilograms more than last year.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, China's grain production is recovering from a five year downward sliding and this year's total output is expected to be more than last year's 430 billion kilograms and exceed the target of 455 billion kilograms set at the beginning of this year.

As the biggest beneficiary of the government policy to support grain production, the major grain production bases contributed 85 percent of the increased grain output this year, said ministry sources.

While enjoying the happiness of good harvest, farmers are busy with planning next year's grain production.

"I have four hectares of paddy filed and get 3,000 yuan of subsidy from the government this year. With good policies like this, it's not a dream to get rich soon," said Wang Hailin, a rice grower in Minyi Town of Heilongjiang Province.

Source: Xinhua