June 20, 2007

Drought damages corn crop in north-eastern China
 

Drought has damaged some 1.4 million hectares of crops, mainly corn and rice, in China's north-eastern Liaoning province.

Local authorities have dispatched labour to transport water to the worst hit areas in the north-west and south of the region, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The water shortage has affected 1.27 million people and 473,800 animals, Xinhua said, citing reports by local officials.

Earlier this month, the China National Grain and Oils Information Centre (CNGOIC) estimated domestic 2007 corn output to reach a record 147 million tonnes, up from 146 million tonnes in 2006, due to larger planting areas.

Dry weather also affected Heilongjiang, another major corn growing region north of Liaoning, Xinhua said.

With drought affecting corn-growing regions in the north, and flooding hitting rice-producing areas in the south, Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai warned that overall domestic grain output for 2007 might drop despite a bigger wheat harvest.