Peking — China will become a net exporter of grain this year for the first time although bad weather may prevent a recurrence of last year’s record harvest, the official China Daily newspaper said Friday.
“The volume of grain exports will surpass imports in 1985, thanks to record harvests in the past few years,” Deputy Minister of ‘Commerce Jiang Xi said in an interview with China Daily.
Jiang did not reveal import and export figures.
“This summer’s crops are expected to yield 87.5 million tons, a harvest second only to last year’s record,” Jiang said. In 1984 China’s summer grain harvest exceeded 88.5 million tons.
Jiang said it was difficult to estimate total grain production for the year because of recent bad weather. Last year China’s grain output reached a record 407 million tons, making the country virtually self-sufficient in grain.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 6, 1985
