|
CHINA> National
![]() |
|
Drought threatens China wheat production
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-04 08:21 Lack of rainfall has led to severe drought in northern China, affecting more than 140 million mu (9.3 million hectares) of wheat, said the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) on Tuesday.
By February 2, 141 million mu wheat in six major grain production provinces, including Henan, Anhui, Shandong, Shanxi, Gansu and Shaanxi, were hit by drought, Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai said at a video conference called to coordinate drought relief efforts. The drought is casting a shadow over China's wheat production, as almost 43 percent of the winter crop has been affected. In comparison, nine million mu of wheat suffered from drought in the same period last year.
According to Monday's weather report by China Meteorological Administration, severe drought in north China was expected to continue as no rain has been forecasted for the next ten days. The MOA warned that more wheat crop could perish if drought continues to linger. To cope with the problem, the MOA asked agricultural departments of every level to collect all of their strength to channel water, enhance irrigation and fertilization. MOA has sent 12 working teams of experts to the drought-hit provinces, to help farmers on drought relief work. By Monday, The Ministry of Finance has allocated 100 million yuan (US$14.6 million) in emergency funding to help farmers weather the difficulties. In related development, drought has affected about 1.74 million hectares of crop and caused an economic loss of 1.6 billion yuan (US$234 million) in east China's Anhui province, the provincial authority on drought relief said on Tuesday. The life of some 12.87 million people is threatened by the drought, the provincial civil affairs bureau said. The provincial government has allocated 10 million yuan from the governor's reserve fund for drought relief. It has also earmarked 15 million yuan to subsidize farmers buying irrigation equipment. The annual 300 million yuan in agricultural material subsidies will be paid to farmers earlier than normal years. The government also plans to carry out artificial precipitation when weather permits. |
||||||
靖安县| 无锡市| 永丰县| 彩票| 仪征市| 普格县| 巴林左旗| 莱州市| 额尔古纳市| 天气| 弥勒县| 阿巴嘎旗| 吐鲁番市| 时尚| 宁陵县| 秦安县| 上虞市| 定边县| 吉木乃县| 收藏| 台北市| 贵港市| 阿荣旗| 康乐县| 蕲春县| 宝应县| 云阳县| 富裕县| 大英县| 泽州县| 类乌齐县| 枣阳市| 盐亭县| 行唐县| 开封市| 视频| 高雄县| 北流市| 石台县| 桐乡市| 剑川县|