Henan flood impact on China's overall grain supply limited: ministry

BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The torrential rain that lashed the central province of Henan has damaged crops in certain areas, but its impact on China's overall grain supply will be limited, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said Friday.

Heavy downpours had ravaged agricultural production in some regions, but areas other than Henan have witnessed less severe disasters than last year, laying a foundation for a bumper harvest, said Pan Wenbo, an official with the ministry.

Data from the ministry showed that the country's overall grain prices remained stable after the disaster in Henan. With a bumper harvest of summer grain, sound momentum in autumn grain production and sufficient stocks, the country is able to keep grain prices stable, said Tang Ke, another official with the ministry.

Henan is an important agricultural province. The latest round of downpours since July 16 in the province had affected 13.91 million people in 150 county-level regions as of Thursday noon.

The province is also home to many of the country's pig farms. While the floods have affected the local pig-farming industry, the impact on the overall supply of pork at the national level is very limited, the ministry said, citing data that shows the country's pork prices have generally remained stable.