Firm Confidence, Scientific Disaster Relief, and All-Out Efforts to Secure a Good Autumn Grain Harvest
At the critical stage of autumn grain growth and yield formation, many regions have suffered rather severe drought, which has created certain difficulties for us in securing a bumper grain harvest for the whole year. Fighting drought is like fighting fire. The central authorities attach great importance to it, and the Ministry of Agriculture has issued an urgent notice, making arrangements at the earliest opportunity. All localities must also act quickly, further enhancing their sense of responsibility and urgency in doing a good job in agricultural drought relief, adopting effective measures, promoting scientific disaster relief, and going all out to secure a good autumn grain harvest.
It is necessary to scientifically assess the current drought situation and remain unwavering in the goal of fighting drought to secure a bumper harvest. At present, the drought in some local areas is severe, but looking at the country as a whole, the drought is generally lighter than in an average year and will not have an overall impact on autumn grain output. In the unaffected areas of drought-stricken provinces, temperatures are high and sunlight is ample, and autumn grain crops such as corn are growing relatively well. As long as weather conditions are normal later on, there can be a certain increase in yield, which can offset part of the losses from drought. All localities must firm up their confidence in fighting disaster to secure a bumper harvest, strengthen support for key drought-stricken areas, intensify guidance and services, and effectively implement all fiscal subsidy policies and disaster relief measures, striving to ensure that severely drought-stricken areas reduce production less, lightly drought-stricken areas do not reduce production, and non-drought areas can increase production.
It is necessary to strengthen classified guidance and promote scientific drought relief in all localities. Organize experts and agricultural technical personnel to go deep into the fields to inspect seedling conditions and soil moisture conditions, and, according to different degrees of disaster and the growth and development stages of different crops, formulate technical guidance opinions by disaster type, by region, and by crop. The Ministry of Agriculture has already dispatched 17 drought relief working groups and expert groups in succession to guide scientific drought relief in all localities. Drought-stricken areas must cooperate closely, organize government officials and agricultural technical personnel to carry out work supervision and technical services, and for severely affected areas adopt the practice of stationing personnel in designated areas and assigning dedicated people for guidance and responsibility, especially guiding drought-stricken areas to seize the favorable opportunity of possible rainfall in mid-to-late August and do a good job in fertilizer and water management. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen communication and consultation with departments such as meteorology and water resources to further study and propose measures for drought relief and securing a bumper harvest.
It is necessary to combine emergency measures with comprehensive treatment, base efforts on the long term, and do a good job in drought relief work. While fighting drought, it is necessary to focus on soil moisture conditions in drought-stricken areas, do a good job in variety adjustment and transportation, and ensure that autumn and winter planting proceeds smoothly; it is necessary to pay attention to the problems of rising planting costs and declining farmers' incomes in drought-stricken areas, provide timely support to farmers for irrigation water, electricity, and fuel, and raise farmers' enthusiasm for fighting drought and protecting grain production; it is necessary to actively promote agricultural water-saving irrigation and dryland farming techniques, promptly implement the construction of high-standard farmland, optimize the crop planting structure, and gradually reduce the impact of drought on agricultural production.