(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-11 13:25

Snowstorms that started to hit southern China in mid January, however, have taken a limited toll on grain output as most winter grain crops were planted in the north.

But Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai said the output still failed to meet domestic demand for the year.

Official statistics show that over the past decade, Chinese per-capita grain supply decreased from 412 kg in 1996 to 378 kg in2006.

China's consumer price index (CPI) rose 4.8 percent in 2007, with the prices of grains, such as soybean, reaching a record high.

The government also took a series of measures to rein in price increases. These included injecting state grain reserves into the market and promoting sales of grain purchased at minimum prices from farmers.

"The prices of agriculture products should be kept at a reasonable level, which would ensure that farmers get enough profits, and at the same time remain affordable to consumers," said Chen Xiwen, a leading agricultural policy decision maker.

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