China's top corn growers see record output

Chinese top corn-growing areas in the north-east are expecting a record harvest this year, the Futures Daily reported on Friday.
The largest grower of Jillian province will produce 5 percent more corn this year than 2004, with output at 19 million tonnes, while Heilongjiang will harvest about 14 million tonnes, it quoted local agricultural officials as telling a seminar.
Loaning will produce more than last year's 13.5 million tonnes while corn output in Inner Mongolia will increase by 10.8 percent from last year to 10.5 million tonnes.
The paper did not give the country's total production, but grain officials had worried that cold spring this year in the area may have damaged the crop, and estimated total output to fall by 4.0 percent from last year's record 132 million tonnes.
Chinese corn exporter, including the Jillian Grain Group, has lobbied the government to offer more financial support on exports of corn due to expectation of big harvest.