Nation has 'plentiful reserves' of wheat
Source: Agencies/Shanghai Daily |
February 16, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA has enough wheat reserves to weather a crippling drought, officials said yesterday as they sought to allay concerns that a poor harvest will further push up global food prices.
China is the world's largest wheat-growing nation, but its wheat belt has had virtually no rain since late October.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters at a regular news conference that China has plentiful reserves following seven years of bumper harvests and that recent drought conditions in the wheat belt "will not affect international food prices."
Ma said the government was taking active measures to minimize the drought's impact.
The government said last week it would spend US$1 billion to alleviate the drought, which as of Monday had affected 6.75 million hectares of winter wheat in the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi and Gansu and left nearly 3 million people short of drinking water.
The National Meteorological Center said yesterday that no rain or snow was forecast in most drought-hit regions of north China over the next three days.
Shanghai agriculture analyst Lief Chiang of Rabobank said that numerous other factors were behind the current increase in wheat prices, including flooding in Australia, drought in Russia and an early frost in Canada.
Not only do hundreds of millions of Chinese rely on farming to make a living, but good harvests are crucial to keeping meat, grains and vegetables affordable for the vast majority of Chinese who spend one-third or more of their income on food.
However, other experts said China's wheat crops are currently dormant and rain or snow in the next month or two could still allow for good harvests.
China is the world's largest wheat-growing nation, but its wheat belt has had virtually no rain since late October.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters at a regular news conference that China has plentiful reserves following seven years of bumper harvests and that recent drought conditions in the wheat belt "will not affect international food prices."
Ma said the government was taking active measures to minimize the drought's impact.
The government said last week it would spend US$1 billion to alleviate the drought, which as of Monday had affected 6.75 million hectares of winter wheat in the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi and Gansu and left nearly 3 million people short of drinking water.
The National Meteorological Center said yesterday that no rain or snow was forecast in most drought-hit regions of north China over the next three days.
Shanghai agriculture analyst Lief Chiang of Rabobank said that numerous other factors were behind the current increase in wheat prices, including flooding in Australia, drought in Russia and an early frost in Canada.
Not only do hundreds of millions of Chinese rely on farming to make a living, but good harvests are crucial to keeping meat, grains and vegetables affordable for the vast majority of Chinese who spend one-third or more of their income on food.
However, other experts said China's wheat crops are currently dormant and rain or snow in the next month or two could still allow for good harvests.
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