Forest food production key in agricultural output

China's forest food production exceeded 200 million metric tons last year, becoming the third most important agricultural product after grain and vegetables, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said on Friday, the 13th International Day of Forests.

Spanning more than 226 million hectares of forests with over 8,000 woody plant species, China has implemented the "macro food perspective", which means seeking food supplies from outside conventional areas of agriculture, developing economic forests and under-forest economy, over the past decade, the administration said.

The country has built forest and grass ecological projects, and established economic forest production bases, thus promoting the growth and quality of forest food production. Last year, the total output value of the national forestry and grass industry reached 10.17 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion), a 9.6 percent increase from the previous year, the administration added.