The US - an important export country for food stocks - will convert 18% of its grain output to ethanol in 2008.

On social issues, officials are promoting tax relief for peasants and subsidies to increase grain output as a way to raise rural incomes.

As a result, although each year brings a new record harvest in China, per capita grain output has reached a plateau.

Its intent was to raise grain output at least to self-sufficiency to ease the pressure on the balance of payments.

The Five Year Plan postulated a grain output.of over 100 million tons.

The grain output in 1956 of the entire Soviet Union was 50% higher than the 1949-53 average.

China is the world's largest producer of rice, and the crop makes up a little less than half of the country's total grain output.

Since then, India's grain output has hardly increased at all.

In 1979 per capita grain output first surpassed previous peak levels achieved in 1957.

They sold their grain output at these facilities.