Breaking News-RTRS-UPDATE 1-Rapeseed output to fall by half in China drought areas

BEIJING, March 24 (Reuters) - The most serious drought in decades in China's southern provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou is expected to cut their rapeseed output by 500,000 tonnes, or about half of last year's total output, an official think-tank reported on Wednesday.
In 2009, the two areas produced 1 million tonnes of the oilseed, used to produce edible oil and feed ingredients, accounting for 7.3 percent of China's total output, said the China National Grain and Oils Information Centre (CNGOIC).