China's winter wheat harvest is expected to grow 5 percent this year to as much as 97 million tonnes because good weather has improved the yield, industry officials said on Tuesday.
The China National Grain and Oils Information Centre (CNGOIC) revised up its estimate for the crop, after several provinces reported record output in the harvest that ended in June. Drought in the north-east corn and soyabean growing had eased after recent rainfalls, local officials said.
"Some areas, including Henna, Anhui and Jiangsu, have reported record production this year," said one analyst at the centre. Winter wheat planted late last year, accounts for more than 90 percent of the country's total wheat production.
Winter wheat output in Henna, the country's largest wheat grower, is forecast to grow 9.0 percent to 28 million tonnes because of higher yield, said one agricultural official. CNGOIC forecasts the country's total wheat production in 2006 at 102 million tonnes, up from 97.45 million tonnes in 2005.