Will regional droughts affect the goal of stabilizing grain output and increasing incomes? Experts respond
On August 3, in Anzhuang Village, Wangdu County, Hebei Province, a farmer irrigates corn crops in a field. Recently, reporters learned that the drought-affected area of crops in the field in Hebei Province reached 15.6 million mu.
Economic Daily, Beijing, August 4 (Reporter Qiao Jinliang) According to the agricultural situation dispatch of the Ministry of Agriculture on August 4, the drought-affected area of farmland nationwide was more than 64.2 million mu, of which 17 million mu was severely drought-affected. Henan Province, where the drought was most severe, had a drought-affected area of more than 25.8 million mu, with a severely drought-affected area of more than 7.3 million mu. In order to fully promote scientific drought relief in agriculture, today the Ministry of Agriculture and the China Meteorological Administration jointly organized relevant experts to consult on recent precipitation conditions in drought areas and future weather trends. The consultation concluded that at present, soil moisture is sufficient in most major production areas such as Northeast China and the Yangtze River Basin, the growth process of autumn grain is normal, and the growth is generally good. However, the Huang-Huai-Hai region and southern Shaanxi have high temperatures and little rain, and some areas have relatively severe drought. It is expected that in early August most drought areas will have sunny, hot and high-temperature weather, the drought will continue, and the task of agricultural drought relief will be arduous; in mid-to-late August rainfall in drought areas will increase, and the drought will gradually ease.
Recently some areas experienced rainfall processes, but the drought in severely drought-affected areas has not eased. From June to July, precipitation in most of North China, most of the Huang-Huai region, the Jianghuai region, most of Jianghan, central and southern Shaanxi, and southeastern Gansu was generally 20 to 50 percent below normal, temperatures were high, and the drought developed quickly. Severely drought-affected areas were mainly concentrated in the traditional drought areas north of the Huai River and south of the Yellow River, as well as the old drought areas of the northwest and Inner Mongolia.
It is expected that in early August, drought areas such as Henan, Hubei, southern Shaanxi, and northern Anhui will have mostly sunny, hot and high-temperature weather, and the drought will continue. At present, corn is successively tasseling and silking, and rice is heading and flowering, which is precisely a critical period for growth and development and yield formation. The continuously developing drought will affect autumn grain production in severely drought-affected areas, and the task of drought-relief irrigation and field management is heavy.
The consultation concluded that the drought is regional and will affect autumn grain production in some localities, but the growth process of autumn grain in most major production areas such as Northeast China and the Yangtze River Basin is normal, and the growth is generally good. At present, in the non-drought-affected areas of drought-affected provinces, temperatures are high and sunlight is sufficient, and autumn grain crops such as corn are growing well, which can also offset part of the disaster losses. The consultation proposed that the goal of stabilizing grain output and increasing incomes must be upheld unswervingly, and that based on fighting disasters to secure a bumper harvest, all drought-relief measures should be implemented, striving for less reduction in output in severely drought-affected areas, no reduction in output in lightly drought-affected areas, and more increase in output in non-drought areas, and going all out to secure a bumper autumn grain harvest.
According to reports, after earlier sending 5 drought-relief work teams to Henan, Shaanxi, Anhui and other provinces, the Ministry of Agriculture today again sent 3 work teams to severely drought-affected areas such as Hebei, Hubei, and Inner Mongolia to guide drought-relief work to protect autumn grain and livestock.