Acreage sown to grain in China predicted at 104 million hectares in 2005

The total acreage sown to grain crops in China this year is expected to reach 104 million hectares, up 2.3 percent year on year, the National Bureau of Statistics said here Wednesday.

NBS spokesman Zheng Jingping said at a press conference that the prediction was based a nationwide survey which shows Chinese farmers were enthusiastic in grain production this year.

According to him, the acreage for summer grain is estimated at 26.33 million hectares, which was 4.8 percent more than last year and put an end to the continuous drop in the past seven consecutive years.

At present, winter wheat, a major variety of grain to be harvested in summer, is growing well with proper soil moisture, said Zheng.

Source: Xinhua