Bumper autumn harvest set to lift annual grain output to new high

Despite the impact of rare "rotting rain", severe flooding and sporadic droughts across China this year, grain output is expected exceed 650 million metric tons for the ninth consecutive year and reach a new high, an agricultural official said on Monday.

The summer harvests totaled 146.1 million tons, slightly lower than last year's but still the second-highest ever, said Zeng Yande, who oversees agricultural development and planning at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Summer rice output increased for a fourth consecutive year to 28.3 million tons, he told a news conference in Beijing.

"The increase in autumn grain production is already a settled matter," he said.

The area planted with autumn grain had remained stable, with some increases, and except for some areas affected by disasters, a good mix of sunlight, suitable temperatures and water in most regions promised a bumper harvest.