China's grain inventory at high level: official

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's grain inventory has been kept at a high level, with abundant government grain reserves and policy reserves, an official with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration said on Monday.

The ratio of China's grain inventory to consumption far exceeds the warning level designated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the stockpile of rice and wheat, two staple grains of the country, can feed the whole population for more than one year, the official said in an interview with Xinhua.

Thanks to bumper harvests in the past years, as well as strong grain reserves, China has managed to keep grain prices at a generally stable level amid fluctuations in international prices, the official noted.

The country will step up the protection of arable land and stabilize grain output, while enhancing management of grain reserves, the official said. Enditem