P.M. BRIEFING : Record Grain Harvest for China
China will harvest a record 422 million tons of grain this year, providing the economy’s lone bright spot amid poor factory output and growing government debt, official reports said today.
The China Daily quoted Agriculture Vice Minister Chen Yaobang as saying the grain crop will be about 15 million tons greater than last year’s record 407 million tons.
He said good harvests also are expected in cotton, edible oils and sugar.
Chen’s announcement comes as good news to the Communist Party leadership, which typically emphasizes grain production on the premise that a well-fed population is its best guarantee of staying in power.
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