Farmers takes care of early rice in the field in Qionghai, south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 30, 2013. China will lift the minimum state procurement price for rice produced this year to encourage farmers to grow more grain and boost production, the country's top economic planner said on Jan. 31. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in a statement that the minimum procurement price for early indica rice would be raised to 2,640 yuan (420 U.S. dollars) per metric ton (tonne), up 10 percent from the price set for 2012. Meanwhile, the minimum procurement prices for mid-and-late indica rice and japonica rice would be set at 2,700 yuan (434 US dollars) and 3,000 yuan (482 US dollars) per tonne, up 8 percent and 7.14 percent year on year, respectively. (Xinhua/Meng Zhongde)