An important and favorable turn has appeared in China's grain output, as the number will reach more than 480 kilograms this year, more than 14.55 billion kilograms than that of last year, announced Chinese Agriculture Minister Du Qinglin Wednesday in Beijing, according to the overseas edition of People's Daily on Thursday.

This year's grain production continues to develop on the basis of last year. The total increased output for the two years exceeds 50 billion kilograms, said the minister at the national work conference on agriculture held in the capital.

The grain yield per mu (1/15 hectare) is 309.5 kilograms in 2005, hitting a new high in history. The minister said consecutive new history records have been achieved in the unit output. The increase has been the main support for the total grain growth. This shows that the grain production increase has shifted from the dependence on the expansion of growing area in the past to relying on the progress of science and technology at the present.

By People's Daily Online