Heavy Rain Hits, Ministry of Agriculture Urgently Deploys Defense Work

Currently, this is a critical period for the maturity of summer grain and oil crops, and also an important stage for the growth and development of spring-planted crops. Since May, heavy rainfall has continued to occur in regions such as Jiangnan and South China, with some areas suffering from floods and waterlogging to varying degrees. According to forecasts from the Central Meteorological Observatory, in mid-to-late May most of southern China will still experience heavy to torrential rain. On May 18, the Ministry of Agriculture urgently deployed heavy rain defense work, requiring all localities to attach great importance to it, strengthen responsibility, respond scientifically, and never slacken in disaster prevention and mitigation, ensuring safe passage through the flood season and the safety of agricultural production, so as to gain the initiative for achieving a bumper grain and agricultural harvest for the whole year.

First, strengthen the implementation of responsibilities. Currently, wheat and rapeseed in the Southwest are successively entering the maturity and harvest period, early rice in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River has been fully transplanted, middle rice seedling raising and transplanting are unfolding one after another, and spring-planted crops such as corn are at the seedling growth and development stage. Recently, heavy rainfall has been frequent, with a wide impact range and long duration, and may cause adverse effects on agricultural production. Agricultural departments at all levels must remain unwavering in the goal of stabilizing grain production and increasing income, firmly establish the idea of fighting disasters to secure a bumper harvest, consciously take the prevention of heavy rainfall as an urgent current task, strengthen leadership, clarify responsibilities, increase efforts, and strengthen measures, ensuring that responsibilities are assigned to specific persons and measures are in place, and effectively reducing the impact of disasters.

Second, strengthen monitoring and early warning. Strengthen contact with relevant departments such as meteorology and water resources, closely monitor severe weather and disaster dynamics, and issue early warning information in a timely manner. It is necessary to further improve and implement the duty system, strengthen emergency duty, strengthen disaster scheduling, proactively collect, verify and report disaster situations, and improve the timeliness and accuracy of information. Organize experts to formulate and improve disaster prevention and mitigation plans, and make early preparations in terms of technology and materials for different regions and different types of disasters.

Third, vigorously implement measures. In response to the characteristics of heavy rainfall and the growth and development conditions of crops in the fields, timely activate emergency response, and immediately dispatch work teams and expert guidance teams to deeply enter disaster areas to guide the implementation of disaster prevention and mitigation measures. It is necessary to seize the intervals between rainfall, strengthen organization and scheduling, increase investment in machinery and manpower, accelerate the harvest of mature wheat and rapeseed, and ensure that every grain is returned to the granary. Early rice and middle rice should be taken as the focus of protection, timely dredge ditches, prevent floods and drain waterlogged areas, and for submerged seedlings promptly inspect seedlings, wash seedlings and support seedlings, and strengthen fertilizer and water management; for submerged fruit trees, promptly clean the orchard and earth up the soil, spray foliar fertilizer, and promote recovery of growth. It is necessary to organize personnel to conduct a comprehensive inspection and reinforcement of facilities such as greenhouses.

Fourth, strengthen guidance services. Timely organize cadres, staff, experts and technicians to deeply enter disaster areas, scientifically assess the impact of disasters, strengthen categorized guidance, implement disaster prevention and relief measures according to local conditions, and promptly organize and guide farmers in carrying out production self-rescue. Quickly organize drainage to reduce waterlogging, strengthen post-disaster field management of crops in the fields, and promote the early recovery of growth of affected crops; help disaster areas, based on the characteristics of the disaster situation, study and formulate improved plans for restoring agricultural production, and in light of agricultural seasons and regional characteristics, timely adopt response measures, and guide farmers in replanting and changing crops; do a good job in the allocation and transportation of production materials such as seeds, seedlings, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and vaccines, providing material guarantees for restoring production in disaster areas.