China's summer grain output renews record

China's output of summer grain stood at 129.95 million metric tons this year.

That was up 2.8 percent year-on-year and surpassed a record of 127.68 tons set in 1997, the National Bureau of Statistics announced on Tuesday.

In China, the term "summer grain crops" mainly refers to wheat and early rice. Wheat output contributed largely to the summer grain harvest, increasing 3.34 million tons, or 3 percent, from the previous year to 114.3 million tons in 2012, the bureau said. Favorable weather, the use of agricultural technology and government policies also contributed, the bureau said.

In total, 27.58 million hectares were used to grow summer grain this year, up 0.1 percent year-on-year. The yield for summer grain reached 4,713 kg per hectare, up 2.7 percent, according to the bureau.

lijiabao@chinadaily.com.cn