(Yicai Global) Oct. 17 -- Supply of agricultural products has remained adequate, and if China does not witness widespread severe weather, prices of agricultural staples like grains are set to stay relatively steady, while those of fresh products will fluctuate slightly, Tang Ke, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture's market and economic information department, said today.

China has resumed increased soybean production, which will help ease short supply in the county, but will lead to a downward trend in prices, Tang said. New soybean prices in Northeast China remained low, were below those recorded last year and are falling rapidly.

China put mechanisms in place and offered subsidies in its Northeast, which is a major soybean production area in the country, Tang said. The subsidies are higher than last year's and can basically offset farmers' losses due to declining prices, but if prices drop further, farmers may generate lower returns than they did last year, said Tang.

China may import more than 90 million tons of soybeans this year, which is nearly six times the country's production volume, and this will put pressure on the Chinese market, said Tang.