Drought-resistant seeds to help growers

Special Report: China fights worst drought in 50 years

BEIJING, Feb. 10 -- The Ministry of Science and Technology has listed 20 types of drought-resistant wheat seeds to help farmers combat the worst dry spell in large parts of the country since 1951.

Photo taken on Feb. 5, 2009 shows a dead wheat seedling in the farmland of Taiping township of Huining County, northwest China's Gansu Province. The county has suffered from serious drought since September 2008 with about 150,667 hektares of farmland and 184,000 people and 326,000 livestocks short of water. (Chinese media/Han Chuanhao)
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Though the seeds have been available in local

markets, many farmers still do not know about them, Wang Xueqin, chief of the

ministry's agriculture department, told China Daily Monday.

That is why the ministry has decided not only to

promote the seeds, but also provide technological help to farmers who buy them,

he said.

Farmers who have lost wheat seedlings to the dry

spell can sow the drought-resistant seeds, which cost largely the same as the

common varieties, and "reduce their losses", Wang said.

"The government will provide farmers with 50 kinds of

new seed technologies and relative services, too, as part of the free drought

relief work," Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang told a meeting

yesterday.

But despite the efforts it would be difficult for the

country to reach last year's wheat output level of 109 million tons, the highest

since 2003.

The worst drought to hit the country in more than

half a century has hurt the livelihood of people in eight provinces - Hebei,

Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Henan, Shandong, Shaanxi and Gansu. And till Friday, it

had damaged or destroyed crops on about 158 million mu (10 million hectares).

"The crops in drought-hit regions may not survive the

unexpected drops in temperature," said Wang Zhimin, a professor of China

Agricultural University.

Many farmers have been using wheat seeds with a short

growth period because of the warm winters in recent years, he said. But usually

such seeds are not cold-resistant.

In spring, temperatures can drop drastically at

nights, something such seeds cannot sustain because they don't have the special

features of the stronger drought-resistant varieties, Wang Zhimin said.

Though local governments have raised their subsidy

levels for farmers to help them buy more irrigation and water-saving equipment,

farmers could still face heavy loses, he said. For example, a farmer in Hubei

has to pay 30 yuan as water and electricity fee for every mu of land he/she

irrigates, he said.

But it's too early to say if the drought will

influence the price of wheat this year because that it also depends on the total

output of the grain, he said.

Irrigation covered more than half of the wheat fields

in the drought-hit provinces, Minister of Agriculture Sun Zhengcai said on

Sunday, and 85 million mu of them have been irrigated in provinces such as

Henan, Anhui, Shandong and Hebei.

(Source: China Daily)

Irrigation covers more than half of

drought-hit wheat farmland in China

BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Chinese media) -- Irrigation has covered 52.7

percent of the wheat farmland in drought-hit provinces in China by Saturday,

said the Ministry of Agriculture.

A total of 85 million mu (about 5.67 hectares) of

wheat land have been irrigated in eight drought-stricken provincial regions, the

ministry told a meeting on Sunday. Full story

Chinese Premier urges "top priority"

on drought relief

BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Chinese media) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has

urged officials in drought-hit areas to place "top priority" on relief work as

agricultural stability concerns China's bid to revive its economy.

The fight against drought has to do not only with the

safety of grain supply but also with the country's efforts to stimulate domestic

demand, Wen said during a visit to central China's drought-hit Henan Province on

Saturday and Sunday. Full story

China earmarks 86.7 bln yuan for

drought relief

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Chinese media) -- The Ministry of Finance (MOF)

on Friday allocated 86.7 billion yuan (about 12.69 billion U.S. dollars) from

its reserve to drought-hit areas in relief funds.

Of the total, 71.6 billion yuan will be given to farmers

for buying relief materials, and the other 15.1 billion yuan will go to grain

producers to supplement incomes. Full story

Rainfall expected in drought-hit

central Chinese province
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BEIJING, Feb. 7 -- A top weather expert said

four to five periods of rain are expected in central China's drought-stricken

Henan Province over the next three weeks.

Zhao Guoqiang, vice-deputy director of the Meteorological

Administration of Henan, made the promising announcement on Thursday. Full story

Chinese president, premier order

all-out anti-drought efforts

BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Chinese media) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have ordered all-out efforts to combat the severe drought in the country's vast wheat-growing area to ensure a good summer harvest, a State Council meeting was told Thursday.

The central government on Thursday decided to earmark

another 300 million yuan (44 million U.S. dollars) as drought relief fund in

additional to 100 million yuan already allocated. The fund will be used to buy

agricultural machinery and other production materials. Full story

China declares highest level of

emergency for worst drought in 50 years
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BEIJING, Feb 5 (Chinese media) -- China raised the drought emergency class Thursday

from level two to level one, the highest alert, in response to the worst drought

to hit northern China in half a century, according to a State Council meeting.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have

ordered all-out efforts to combat the severe drought in the country's vast

wheat-growing area to ensure a good summer harvest, according to a State Council

meeting held Thursday. Full story

China ramps up spending to blunt

impact of prolonged drought

BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Chinese media) -- China, the world's biggest

agricultural country in terms of farm population, might find it hard to bring in

a good harvest this year, with a four-month drought tightening its grip on large

sections of the country's northern half.

The drought has added to the woes of the nation's rural

economy, which has been affected by falling commodity prices amid the global

downturn. All these pressures will make it more difficult for China to stabilize

grain production, increase farm incomes and expand rural markets. Full story

Drought threatens China wheat

production

BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Chinese media) -- Lack of rainfall has led to

severe drought in northern China, affecting more than 140 million mu (9.3

million hectares) of wheat, said the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) on Tuesday.

By February 2, 141 million mu wheat in six major grain

production provinces, including Henan, Anhui, Shandong, Shanxi, Gansu and

Shaanxi, were hit by drought, Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai said at a video

conference called to coordinate drought relief efforts. Full story

China asks for more efforts to cope

with severe drought

BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Chinese media) -- Different levels of

governments should collect strength to combat drought, which has crippled

China's agriculture, said Vice Premier Hui Liangyu Tuesday.

He urged efforts to give drought-relief work top

priority. Full story

N China to face continuous drought,

persistent efforts needed

BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Chinese media) -- Severe drought in north China

was expected to continue as no rain has been forecasted for the next ten days,

the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the China Meteorological Administration

(CMA) said Monday.

The ministries said the current situation remained grim

and called for prolonged fight against the extreme drought that began last

November. Full story