BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has projected a bigger supply gap of corn from October 2018 to September 2019 than a year earlier.
Corn output for the period is expected to shrink 0.7 percent year on year to 257 million tonnes, while consumption will rise 5.5 percent to 285 million tonnes, according to a report by the Chinese Agriculture Outlook Committee, an advisory body under the ministry.
In breakdown, corn used as animal feed will expand 3.5 percent year on year to 178 million tonnes, while industrial consumption of corn will increase 12.7 percent year on year to 84.5 million tonnes.
From October 2017 to September 2018, China's corn output reached 259 million tonnes, down 1.7 percent year on year, while its consumption grew 4.4 percent to 270 million tonnes.
During that period, the country's net corn import stood at 3.45 million tonnes, according to the report.
