Guangdong province’s grain supply is stable, the province's grain administration and agricultural department said yesterday in Guangzhou.
The province has sufficient reserves to feed its people for five months, the authorities said.
They denied a report published earlier this month by China Economic Weekly that said Guangdong is facing the biggest grain deficiency in the country - as much as 24 million tons a year.
The provincial administration of grain released a report last week dealing with current supplies and prices.
Grain storage in Guangzhou is sufficient to meet the city's demand for 10 days, while Shenzhen's storage is enough for 25 days, the report said.
Guangdong has maintained its maximum grain productivity, 14 million tons a year, for many years. This amounts to 40 percent of the province's demand.
About 24 million tons of grain are imported from other provinces, such as Hunan, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jilin, the administration said.
Guangdong has also signed a number of cooperative agreements with other provinces to import more grain, the administration said.
Last year, the province produced 12.85 million tons of grain and bought 25 million tons.
Guangdong has very limited cultivated land for grain, said Cheng Ganrong, a publicity official with the province's agricultural department.
The province, which mainly focuses on industry, has just 2 million hectares of cultivated land, he said.
"The situation this year is very similar to the ones we have faced in the past. Our reserves are sufficient and the price is stable. It is not necessary for people to hoard grain," he said.
Last month, a 50-kg bag of rice, wheat or corn sold for between 75.90 yuan and 86.90 yuan, up about 4 percent on equivalent prices in October.
Li Min, vice-director of the grain administration, said, "The increase in price is encouraging more farmers to plant rice in the province."
Questions:
1. China Economic Weekly’s report said Guangdong’s grain deficiency is how many millions of tons per year?
2. How many hectares of cultivated land does Guangdong have?
3.What was the price of a 50-kg bag of rice, wheat or corn last month?
Answers:
1. 24 million.
2. 2 million.
3. Between 75.90 yuan and 86.90 yuan.
（英语点津 Helen 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Jonathan Stewart is a media and journalism expert from the United States with four years of experience as a writer and instructor. He accepted a foreign expert position with chinadaily.com.cn in June 2007 following the completion of his Master of Arts degree in International Relations and Comparative Politics.
