China has allocated 1.6 billion yuan ($253 million) to strengthen the management of winter wheat fields to strengthen food supply security, the Finance Ministry said.

Part of the money will be used to stabilize winter wheat production in five major production regions, including Hebei and Shandong provinces, where grain planting has been delayed, the report said.

The central government will also allocate money to about a dozen major production regions to prevent and control the impact of extreme weather on wheat.

China's agriculture minister said the country's winter wheat crop is potentially the worst in history after heavy rains delayed planting about a third of normal wheat acreage, but added that he was confident a bumper summer crop could be secured.