(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-14 22:16

Seven major grain-selling areas are reporting substantial demand-supply imbalances, while 11 regions that both produce and sell grain have reported an increasing gap, Nie wrote in a signed article in the People's Daily, on Monday.

China harvested 501.5 million tons of grain in 2007, but prospects might be less favorable this year because the severe winter weather in southern regions damaged crops.

Meanwhile, northern China is experiencing its worst spring drought in years.

Since early this year, the average rainfall has been 5.5 mm in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei province, Beijing and Tianjin. That is less than half the average and the least since 1951, according to the China Meteorology Center.

"We should always keep alert in guaranteeing grain security," said Nie.

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