China think-tank upgrades 2007 winter wheat output

BEIJING, July 2 (Reuters) The China National Grain and Oils Information Centre (CNGOIC) said it had revised upwards its estimate for the country's 2007 winter wheat output to 102 million tonnes despite drought damage in some provinces.

Shang Qiang Min, director of the state-owned think-tank, told a conference an acreage increase in Henan, the country's top wheat producing province, more than offset drought damage in Shandong and Hebei provinces.

The revision in the 2007 winter wheat output projection, from 99.6 million tonnes, raised the country's total wheat output in the 2007/2008 marketing year to 107 million tonnes from 105 million forecast last month.

The 2007/2008 marketing year started in June and ends in May, 2008.

Shang also said the country's 2007/2008 wheat exports would total 1.5 million tonnes, while it was likely to import 0.6 million tonnes of the grain. Comparative figures for 2006/2007 were not immediately available.

He estimated China's domestic wheat consumption in the 2007/2008 marketing year would stand at 101 million tonnes.

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