China wasting 35 million tonnes of grain each year: Officials

BEIJING - Representatives of China’s State Administration of Grain have criticised the “shameful” waste every year of 35 million metric tonnes of grain because of poor storage and transportation methods (which they say wastes 27.5 million tonnes) and excessive production (which causes losses of 7.5 million tonnes). They said major grain production regions, such as Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hebei and Shandong provinces, lack storage buildings for approximately 35 million tons of grain.

The Ministry of Agriculture has revealed that only 3% of China’s 210 million farming households are capable of storing grain in a scientific way. Chen Yuzhong of the State Administration of Grain says that 20 million tons of grain would be saved if all Chinese farms could properly store grain. www.webershandwick.cn (ATI).