By Diao Ying (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-16 10:09

Grain and vegetable oil will be released from the national reserve to supply earthquake-hit Sichuan province, the State Administration of Grain said on its website.

The provisions will be released from local branches of State reserves to "ensure the public and relief workers have enough to eat", a statement posted on Tuesday night said.

The Chengdu branch has already started delivering 100,000 tons of rice, 50,000 tons of wheat and 14,000 tons of oil to quake-hit regions, China Grain Reserve Corp, which manages the nation's strategic reserves, said Thursday.

Also, 2 tons of rice have been airlifted to Sichuan from Jilin province, which will send a further 100 tons to the area today, an official with the provincial administration said.

"We processed 100 tons of top quality grain into rice on Tuesday," the official, who declined to be named, said.

Several State grain warehouses in Sichuan have been damaged by the earthquake.

While the extent of the damage is yet to be confirmed, there have been reports of demolished buildings and human casualties.

The offices of the grain administration in Beichuan county are reported to have collapsed, while operations at all grain and oil processing plants in the city of Deyang have been halted.