China's grain demand is predicted to continue its slow growth in the next four years, with grain consumption increasing 0.9 percent annually.

The prediction was made by an expert with the China Nation Grain and Oils Information Center, reported Financial News Thursday.

The expert held that the domestic demand for grain, which was determined by the growth rate of the population and that of consumption in recent years, should be the decisive factor for forecasting the grain market from 2005 to 2009.

Former predictions of grain demand were always higher than the actual volume, harmful to the country's macro control, said Yang Weilu, an expert in this field.

Considering the downward trend of per capita grain consumption, grain demand estimations in the next four years should be lowered, said the newspaper.

According to statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, the average grain consumption per person has been slowly falling in the past ten years.

Although feed consumption keeps rising with the development of animal husbandry, substitute consumption of other food directly results in a decrease of food consumption.

What's more, the growth of the national economy and usage of engines have reduced the intensity of physical labor, also reducing grain consumption.

Source: Xinhua