Harvest big time

Machines harvest rice in Heilongjiang province, on Sept 23, 2011. The grain output of a group of state-owned farms in Heilongjiang was 18.2 million tons in 2010, an amount that covers the yearly grain requirement for 100 million people, and data for 2011 suggests this year's grain output will be more than 20 million tons. The grain output from the whole province is expected to reach 57.5 million tons, and the Ministry of Agriculture says early forecasts show that China's grain output for 2011 is expected to reach 550 million tons, making 2011 the eighth consecutive year the country's grain output has increased. [Photo/Xinhua]