January 11, 2010

In view of the ongoing cold wave, China's Ministry of Agriculture convened a nationwide video conference on January 8 to deploy efforts for disaster prevention and mitigation.

The meeting called for the agricultural departments at all levels to intensify their efforts against the cold spell, which might continue over the Chinese New Year period.

Four aspects were highlighted in the conference. First, it is essential to strengthen the meteorological alert system and timely warning must be issued to ensure the stable development of agricultural production.

Secondly, the meeting called for timely implementation of various preventive measures. These include the prompt clean-up of snow, temperature and humidity control, and enhancement of the insulation of facilities. Other measures include improving the cold tolerance of livestock and enhancing animal disease prevention.

Third, it is necessary to ensure the continuous supply of agricultural products. Therefore, it is important to maintain smooth traffic flows and lower transport costs.

Finally, the meeting urged the relevant departments to strengthen their anti-disaster emergency responses on a 24-hour basis. In addition, a progress report on the efforts against the snowstorm should be submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture daily.