A top rice scientist and government adviser has said that some local grain reserves in China are empty following heavy extra demand during the severe winter weather and fabricated reporting of figures to central government, The Beijing Times reports.
The newspaper quotes Yuan Longping, who is called a 'top rice scientist
and an adviser to the Chinese government,' as saying that some
officials in charge of granaries are reporting inflated figures to
claim more government subsidies. The State Administration of Grain has
apparently begun an investigation.
Grain reserves are a growing issue in China, as recent price increases
for food products are blamed for driving up inflation to an 11-year
record. China is facing "its most difficult year," according to Premier
Wen Jiabao. The global economic slowdown precipitated by the U.S.
recession and domestic inflationary pressures in China will have a
considerable impact on China's economy, Wen said in Beijing.
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