China 2011 early rice output up 4.5pc

BEIJING: China, the world's largest rice grower, produced 32.76 million tonnes of early-season rice, up 4.5 percent from last year, despite concerns over drought damage in some rice-growing provinces, according to a statement issued by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The bureau said a yield 5.4 percent higher than last year's contributed to the bumper harvest, although acreage under early-season rice fell by 0.8 percent on the year.

China grows two to three seasons of rice. The world's largest rice consumer produced 199 million tonnes last year.

Copyright Reuters, 2011