BEIJING - China's grain output this autumn is likely to hit a record high and bring a ninth year of consecutive growth in the annual output, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) predicted on Friday.

The acreage for growing grain crops is expected to expand by around 733,300 hectares to 111 million hectares this year, while the yield per unit will continue to rise to a record high, said the official, who declined to be identified.

Despite the anticipated harvest, grain prices will go up mildly this year because of increasing production costs and government policies to support prices that are aimed at stabilizing farmers' income, according to the official.

China's summer grain output reached 129.95 million tonnes this year, up 3.56 million tonnes, or 2.8 percent, from last summer, official figures showed.

The country's grain output in 2011 rose to a record high of 571.21 million tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 4.5 percent, marking the eighth consecutive year of growth.

Yields of autumn grain reached 412.18 million tonnes in 2011, up 5.1 percent from a year earlier.