The Government of China halted auctions of maize from state reserves, a normal practice during the harvest, which is currently ongoing. Auctions were suspended last week and will resume after May 2017 when sales of the new crop are set to end. The measure aims to encourage companies to purchase new crop supplies, also in view of the discontinuation of the state stockpiling scheme announced earlier in the year and its replacement with subsidies to maize processors (FPMA Food Policies).