Go all out to fight the "choking drought" to protect autumn grain and promote a bumper harvest

At a time when some of the drought in the Huang-Huai and northwest regions has eased, parts of the northeast have encountered a choking drought. These past two days, in the drought-stricken area of Fuxin Mongol Autonomous County, Liaoning Province, this writer saw that corn lacking irrigation had faded from green and turned yellow, with withered leaves, and, in the words of local people, “it could catch fire with just a spark”, which is deeply worrying.

As the farming proverb says, the 15th day of the seventh month determines drought or flood, and the 15th day of the eighth month determines the harvest. Right now is the key season for the formation of autumn grain yields, especially in the main producing areas of the northeast, where corn is at the critical moment of grain filling and kernel formation, the peak period of water demand. If the corn fields cannot be watered, some plots face the threat of reduced yields or even total crop failure, affecting the overall situation of grain production. Therefore, the choking drought in the northeast must be taken very seriously.

Fighting a choking drought is like climbing a slope; when nearing the top, one must never give up lightly and must press forward, otherwise all the previous efforts will be wasted. With farming time tight and the task heavy, drought-stricken areas must, on the basis of the previous stage of work, grit their teeth, step up efforts further, strengthen measures further, and persist in drought relief and scientific drought relief. As long as the drought is not lifted for a single day, drought relief will not stop for a single day.