Chinese farmers are expecting a good grain harvest this summer -- barring any natural disasters in the near future, said Agriculture Minister Du Qinglin.

Du was speaking after an inspection tour of Hebei Province, a major grain producer in north China.

The summer harvest would lay a solid foundation for the fulfillment of this year's plan to increase production, following last year's bumper harvest.

A seven-year decline in China's grain output ended in 2004. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, China produced 484 billion kg of grain last year, an increase of 14.6 billion kg from the previous year.

Summer grain plays a critical role in annual production in China. In the north, wheat, planted in autumn and harvested in summer, is the decisive factor in the annual cereal yield.

In the south, where rice is the staple food, the June harvest usually plays a major role in stabilizing grain prices driven up by diminishing supplies of stored grain in April and May.

By June 8, about 200 million mu (13.3 million hectares) of wheat had been harvested across China, accounting for 60.1 percent of the total grain acreage this year, said a ministry official.

The figures for this summer's yield were still unavailable, he said.

But Du said the proportion of high-yield wheat of this year has surpassed 50 percent for the first time, six percentage points more than last year.

In Hebei, the grain output was estimated at 11.75 million tons this year, representing a continuous increase for three years, according to the provincial agriculture department.

Henan Province in central China, one of the country's major grain production bases, also expected a record yield, predicting 28.1 million tons, 9 percent more than last year.

Du said the government had increased financial support to farmers this year and announced a minimum purchase price for wheat for the first time. Purchasing companies would be obliged to pay farmers at least the government-set minimum.

Du said these measures encouraged farmers and helped increase grain output this year.

More investment was needed in the application of science and technology to agricultural production, Du said.

Despite the predicted bumper summer harvest, Du warned other difficulties remained in realizing increased output, and he stressed the importance of the autumn harvest.

Source: Xinhua