Winter drought threat to summer grain output
Source: Xinhua/Shanghai Daily |
February 10, 2011, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FURTHER measures must be taken to minimize the impact of a prolonged drought in several provinces that threatens the country's summer grain production, China's Ministry of Agriculture urged yesterday.
Premier Wen Jiabao led a Cabinet meeting yesterday on increasing grain production. China is the world's largest wheat grower and largely self-sufficient in the staple.
The country's winter wheat producing regions have suffered severe drought since last October, and the possibility of spring drought is surfacing, Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu said in a statement.
A spring drought following the winter one will be a significant threat to summer grain production, he said.
As of yesterday, the drought had affected 7.73 million hectares of winter wheat in the country's eight key producing provinces, which account for 42.4 percent of the total winter wheat growing areas in the regions, the ministry said.
Worst in 200 years
China's main wheat growing regions include the provinces of Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu and Jiangsu.
Shandong faces its worst drought in 200 years and the other affected provinces across the country's north and east are facing their worst in 60 years. Shortages of drinking water have affected 2.6 million people.
Han urged agricultural authorities to be "fully aware of the extreme significance" of a summer harvest this year.
Summer grain and oil production is crucial to easing inflation pressures and stabilizing grain output for the entire year, Han said.
"To have a summer harvest, the current pressing job is to protect winter wheat from drought," he said.
Han ordered local agricultural officials to work to stabilize spring planting areas and ensure that the area for grain planting will be equal to that of last year.
Prices stable
Local agricultural officials were also asked to strengthen supervision over market supplies of agricultural materials to keep prices stable.
The State Council yesterday pledged to boost grain production by raising minimum purchase prices, subsidizing anti-drought technologies and increasing irrigation funding.
The UN's food agency has warned that the months-long drought is driving up the country's wheat prices, and now the focus is on whether China will buy more from the global market, where prices have already risen about 35 percent since mid-November.
The rising prices add to growing concerns in China about inflation. Average flour prices rose more than 8 percent in January from the previous two months.
Wheat futures were up yesterday at both the Chicago Board of Trade and the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange in China, where prices for September delivery hit a new high. They were at 3,051 yuan (US$463) a ton last night.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization said the situation could become critical if the drought continues.
Premier Wen Jiabao led a Cabinet meeting yesterday on increasing grain production. China is the world's largest wheat grower and largely self-sufficient in the staple.
The country's winter wheat producing regions have suffered severe drought since last October, and the possibility of spring drought is surfacing, Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu said in a statement.
A spring drought following the winter one will be a significant threat to summer grain production, he said.
As of yesterday, the drought had affected 7.73 million hectares of winter wheat in the country's eight key producing provinces, which account for 42.4 percent of the total winter wheat growing areas in the regions, the ministry said.
Worst in 200 years
China's main wheat growing regions include the provinces of Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu and Jiangsu.
Shandong faces its worst drought in 200 years and the other affected provinces across the country's north and east are facing their worst in 60 years. Shortages of drinking water have affected 2.6 million people.
Han urged agricultural authorities to be "fully aware of the extreme significance" of a summer harvest this year.
Summer grain and oil production is crucial to easing inflation pressures and stabilizing grain output for the entire year, Han said.
"To have a summer harvest, the current pressing job is to protect winter wheat from drought," he said.
Han ordered local agricultural officials to work to stabilize spring planting areas and ensure that the area for grain planting will be equal to that of last year.
Prices stable
Local agricultural officials were also asked to strengthen supervision over market supplies of agricultural materials to keep prices stable.
The State Council yesterday pledged to boost grain production by raising minimum purchase prices, subsidizing anti-drought technologies and increasing irrigation funding.
The UN's food agency has warned that the months-long drought is driving up the country's wheat prices, and now the focus is on whether China will buy more from the global market, where prices have already risen about 35 percent since mid-November.
The rising prices add to growing concerns in China about inflation. Average flour prices rose more than 8 percent in January from the previous two months.
Wheat futures were up yesterday at both the Chicago Board of Trade and the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange in China, where prices for September delivery hit a new high. They were at 3,051 yuan (US$463) a ton last night.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization said the situation could become critical if the drought continues.
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