The Government announced it will keep the 2017 minimum support price for wheat at CNY 2 360 (USD 349) per tonne, the same level as in the past three years. The government sets the purchase price after considering production costs, market supply and demand, as well as prices in both domestic and international markets. Under the scheme, the Government buys wheat from farmers at the state-set price when domestic prices fall below it in an effort to preserve rural incomes and keep the domestic market stable. Purchases would start from May, when harvesting of the main winter crop begins.