BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- China's grain output is expected to remain stable this year, according to a report released Saturday.
The total sown area of rice, wheat and corn will stay around 95.87 million hectares, while that for soybeans is expected to increase by about 666,666 hectares, according to the report released at the 2019 China Agricultural Outlook Conference sponsored by the Agricultural Information Institute under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
The report forecast farm produce prices to keep steady overall, but predicted greater risks of market fluctuations for certain types of products, including pork.
Pork prices are likely to see drastic increases in the second half, with annual imported pork to grow over 40 percent from last year to reach around 1.7 million tonnes, the report said.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has attributed expected higher pork prices to the impact of African swine fever.
Imports of cotton, edible oil, sugar and dairy products will continue to rise this year, while exports of vegetables and fruits will keep recording small increases, according to the report.
