China's Ministry of Communications has issued an urgent circular calling
for the transportation of grain, cooking oil and non-staple food to be
prioritized, said ministry sources.
The order comes swiftly on the heels of a circular issued
by the State Council that asked local departments to ensure a sufficient supply
of grain in face of rising grain prices.
Priority at toll stations will be given to vehicles that transport fresh
products.
The influence of the overseas grain markets and the country's minimum
purchase prices for grain reserves has constricted the market supply of grain.
To ease the shortage of grain and food supply on the domestic market, the
National Development and Reform Commission and the State Grain Administration
have jointly approved the auction of 3.8 million tons of the country's grain
reserves since the end of November.
The latest auction took place on Thursday when 833,000 tons of the country's
wheat was auctioned for 1.26 billion yuan (around 161.3 million U.S. dollars) in
East China's Anhui Province, North China's Hebei Province and Zhengzhou, the
capital of Central China's Henan Province.
