Wednesday, March 6, 2013

China's 2012 Agricultural Production Statistics

According to a December report from China's National Bureau of Statistics and the Bureau's Statistical Communique released in February, China produced more of every major commodity last year (except maybe soybeans). All the statistics are in the table below.

Grain production was up 3.2 percent, the ninth consecutive increase. NBS says that expanded area planted in grain contributed 3.58 million tons and yield increases contributed 14.78 million tons to the increase in grain output.

Corn production expanded 8 percent and became the leading crop produced in China. Corn's increase in planted area of 1.4 million hectares was mirrored by declines in soybeans (-712,000 hectares), cotton (-340,000 hectares) and wheat (-131,000 hectares). NBS doesn't mention it, but corn's expansion of area (4 percent) outpaced its increase in yield (3.5 percent). Thus, corn's output growth came mainly from expanding area.

Meat production was up 5.4 percent. Most of that growth came from pork (up 5.6 percent) and poultry meat (up 6.7 percent). These two species are the main consumers of animal feed and their growth corresponds to the major expansion of corn output. Note that corn output grew 8 percent, faster than growth in meat output. In contrast, growth in production of ruminant animals that eat mainly grass--beef, mutton, and dairy--increased at a relatively slow 2-to-2.5-percent rate. This reflects the general lack of forage resources in China, the long production cycle for cattle, and a campaign to restructure production of grazing and dairy animals.

China Preliminary Agricultural Production Statistics for 2012
Crop Area planted, 2012 Change from 2011
1,000 hectares 1,000 hectares
Grain 111,270 690
  Rice 30,297 240
  Corn 34,949 1,407
  Wheat 24,139 -131
  Soybeans 7,177 -712
Cotton 4,700 -340
Oilseeds 13,980 120
Sugar crops 2,030 90
Grain yields Yield, 2012 Change from 2011
mt/ha mt/ha
Grain 5,299 133
  Rice 6,743 55
  Corn 5,955 207
  Wheat 4,995 158
Crop output Output, 2012 Change
1,000 metric tons Percent
Grain 589,570 3.2
  Summer grain 129,950 2.8
  Early season rice 33,290 1.6
  Fall grain 426,330 3.5
major grain crops:
  Rice 204,290 1.6
  Wheat 120,580 2.7
  Corn 208,120 8.0
Cotton 6,840 3.8
Oilseed crops 34,760 5.1
Sugar crops 134,960 7.8
Tobacco 3,200 11.5
Tea 1,800 11.2
Output of livestock products Output, 2012 Change
1,000 metric tons Percent
Meat output 83,840 5.4
  Pork 53,350 5.6
  Beef 6,620 2.3
  Mutton 4,010 2.0
  Poultry meat 18,230 6.7
Eggs 28,610 1.8
Milk 37,440 2.3
1,000 head Percent
Hog inventory (end of year) 474,920 1.6
Hogs slaughtered 696,280 5.2
Source: China National Bureau of Statistics.

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