China will step up monitoring of the grain market in relation to minimum purchase prices set by the government, the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration of Grain said in a joint statement Wednesday.

Authorities will focus on those who force down prices and give farmers short weight in the four months through the end of October. The purchase of wheat and reserve corn in major grain producing areas will be the focus of the checks, according to the statement.

Local grain authorities will carry out field inspections at major grain depots during the annual purchase period, which usually runs from June to September.

China will see a bumper grain harvest this year, the sixth straight year, despite climate difficulties including droughts in northern China and rain and relatively low temperatures in southern China

The country has already harvested 80 percent of its wheat crop and is expected to reap 122.5 million tonnes of summer grain this year, said the Ministry of Agriculture last Friday.

(Xinhua News Agency June 17, 2009)