(Yicai Global) July 14 -- China had a bumper summer harvest this year, despite a decrease in the sown area, latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics show.

The country produced 140.52 million tons of grains and other summer staples this summer, an increase of 1.31 million tons or 0.9 percent over last year, the NBS said. Grain output increased by 870,000 tons or 0.7 percent to 129.48 million tons, while wheat production rose 1.07 million tons or 0.9 percent to 127.35 million tons.

NBS refers to cereals, beans and yams as summer staples. Cereals include wheat, corn and barley. Beans include broad beans, peas and lima beans. Yams include potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Despite using less space for planting, China's summer output was higher this year than last year as yield per area increased, said Hou Rui, senior statistician at the NBS's Department of Rural Surveys. Favorable weather conditions and fewer pests and diseases contributed to higher output per area.

Some 5,126 kilograms of summer staples were produced per hectare this year, a year-on-year increase of 89 kilograms per hectare or 1.8 percent, NBS data show.