Grain imports to decline 17% in 2013

The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization expects China's grain imports to drop by 17 percent this year, because of rising global prices and increasing domestic harvests.

China's total grain imports are expected to hit 10.8 million metric tons this season (from last October to this year's September), said the FAO in a statement.

Its corn imports are projected to fall 33 percent from a year ago to 3.5 million tons, it added.

The organization said global corn prices have been caused by unfavorable weather conditions in the United States, while increased corn yield in China have also put downward pressure on its own imports.

In 2012, China's corn output increased by 8 percent from a year ago to a historical 208 million tons, official data showed.