BEIJING, Oct. 10 -- China has allocated 484 million yuan (about 68.12 million U.S. dollars) from its central budget to support agricultural disaster prevention and relief work, in response to recent persistent rains, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday.

The funds, which were allocated by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, will be channeled to support disaster relief work in seven provincial-level regions: Hebei, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Henan and Shaanxi.

The money will be used to accelerate efforts to harvest grain with agricultural machinery, dry damp grain, and drain waterlogged farmlands, aiming to secure the autumn grain harvest.

As of Friday, more than half of the country's autumn grain crops have been harvested, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.