China may harvest a record output this year after farmers seeded more land with rice, corn and soybeans, the Ministry of Agriculture said.

The planting area this year was increased to 1.6 billion mu, or 105 million hectares, 10 million mu more than last year, based on estimates, the ministry said in a statement on its Website on Saturday.

The ministry didn't give estimates for total output this year. China is focusing on raising crop yields to ensure it has enough to feed its 1.3 billion people, a Bloomberg News report said.

Increasing incomes and population are fueling food demand even as more agricultural workers seek higher-paying jobs in cities. Higher grain output this year would make the fifth increase in as many years, something China hasn't accomplished since its economy opened to the world 30 years ago, the ministry's statement said.

"This lays a solid foundation for maintaining stable, rapid economic development and curbing rapid price increases," the statement said. Yield per unit area may also rise to records for rice, corn and soybean.

(Shanghai Daily September 22, 2008)