December 21, 2007

Droughts compound grain production dilemmas in China

This year, droughts in China affected 39.93 million hectares of crops, with 349,267 ha yielding no grain at all, and 37.36 billion kilogramme of grain lost.

China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters reported that although the country is no stranger to drought, it is ill-prepared to cope with the current dry spell, one of the worst in decades.

The drought, according to the flood control headquarters, is affecting even tropical southern regions.

Moreover, the effects are being riled by poor infrastructure, a lack of comprehensive relief plans, river diversion, increasing water demand and a booming industrial economy.

Poyang Lake in eastern China's Jiangxi province, for instance, has shrunk to 50 square kilometre from last winter's area of 300-500 sq km.

Zhang Jiatuan of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, said that in 1950s, China annually lost 4.35 billion kilogrammes of grain to drought, or 2.5 percent of the annual total yield.

During the 1990s, agricultural losses escalated to an annual figure of 20.9 billion kg, or 4.4 percent of the total yield. Since 2000, the situation has worsened further, with annual losses of about 37 billion kg, or more than 7 percent of the total.

Zhang stated that for China to cope with such havoc-wrecking droughts, a comprehensive, long-term relief plan must be established while promoting better consumer awareness.