China's grain reserves reported safe after quake

Uzbekistan News.Net
Wednesday 14th May, 2008 (IANS)

Beijing, May 14 (Xinhua) China's national food grain management company Wednesday said the grain reserves in quake-hit regions were mostly safe although there were some damages to granaries by the devastating jolt.

The China Grain Reserve Crop, the state-owned company that manages China's food grain reserves and distribution operation said there were no reports of losses of grain and casualties at its depots in Sichuan and Gansu provinces, and Chongqing municipality, which were hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake Monday.
According to the company, cracks on roofs, walls and distorted insulating layers were reported at some warehouses under the jurisdiction of its Chengdu branch, which covers Sichuan, Chongqing and Tibet Autonomous Region.
Similar problems occurred at depots under the Lanzhou branch that manages grain reserves in Gansu and Qinghai provinces, but with no loss of grain.
The government Tuesday asked the the company to prepare to distribute reserves to ensure supplies for disaster-hit regions.
The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, also said Tuesday that local governments must sternly crack down on profiteering from the earthquake.
It ordered stronger monitoring of prices in affected areas, saying local governments could employ temporary price interventions.
In March, Premier Wen Jiabao had said that the country had sufficient reserves of food grains, between 150 to 200 million tonnes, to deal with the world food crisis which also had impacts in China.

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