国内英语新闻:China's legislature conducts inquiry into gov't report on grain safety

BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature held an inquiry Friday into the government's report on grain safety in an effort to improve the legislative supervisory role.

Entrusted by the State Council, or China's Cabinet, senior officials from nine government agencies, such as the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), attended the inquiry to answer questions raised by lawmakers at a bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature.

Such inquiries are believed to be a concrete and important step for the top legislature to exercise and improve supervision of the government.

Zhang Ping, minister in charge of China's top economic planning body, the NDRC, issued the report on the country's grain safety on Thursday and lawmakers began to deliberate and make inquiries on the report on Friday.

This is the second inquiry held by the top legislature this year. In its June session, lawmakers held an inquiry into the central government's final accounting for 2009.

INTENSE Q&A SESSION

The NPC Standing Committee's vice chairwoman, Oyunqemag, and 21 other lawmakers peppered government officials with more than 20 questions at the inquiry.

Responding to a question on the impact of frequent natural disasters including drought, freezing weather and floods on this year's harvest, Vice Agriculture Minister Chen Xiaohua admitted that grain production has been negatively impacted.

Chen, however, said because the central authority introduced preferential policies in a timely manner, the grain crops harvested in the summer maintained the same level as in previous years, though the harvest of early rice dropped a bit.

He also said he was optimistic about the harvest in autumn, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the country's grain output because the seeded area has been increased and the growth of the crops was good at present.