Special Report: China fights worst drought in 50 years
BEIJING, Feb. 10 -- Light rain and government efforts have helped relieve China's worst drought in half a century, but the battle is still far from over, authorities say.
Mild showers and induced rain dumped between 5 and 26 mm of precipitation in drought-stricken regions from Saturday to Monday morning, the China Meteorological Administration said on its website Monday.
People barrel drinking water supplied by the local government at Chengguan Township in Ruyang County of Luoyang City, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 4, 2009. The city had received a reduced effective rainfall since October 2008, almost 80 percent less than in the same period of previous years. The local government has allocated some 25 million yuan (3.65 million U.S. dollars) for drought relief and crops protection. (Chinese media/Gao Shanyue)
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But the rain is expected to be short lived, it added.
Increased irrigation and light rainfalls have significantly reduced the area of affected land, Chinese media quoted the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters as saying.
As of Monday, the acreage of drought-hit farmland was reduced by 23 million mu (1.67 million hectares) and that of cropland by 24.37 million mu, the office said.
The country still has 276 million mu of farmland and 136 million mu of cropland hit by the drought, which had left 3.46 million people and 1.66 million livestock short of drinking water as of yesterday, it said.
The area of affected winter wheat in the eight provinces of Hebei, Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Henan, Shandong, Shaanxi and Gansu stood at 130 million mu.
Premier Wen Jiabao told officials to give "top priority" to drought relief work during his visit to Henan province on Feb 7 and 8.
Drought-stricken wheat-producing areas in the eight provinces had been reduced to 158 million mu on Sunday, 4,700,000 mu less than the day before, the Ministry of Agriculture said on its website yesterday.
It said 53.8 percent of drought-hit fields in the eight provinces had been irrigated and 30.7 percent of them had been fertilized.
In Henan, the country's biggest wheat producer, the average rainfall exceeded 10 mm in its 30 counties and cities.
The provincial authority fired 6,365 shells and 875 rockets loaded with cloud-seeding chemicals into the sky.
Shanxi also fired 420 shells and 308 rockets, dispatching airplanes with cloud-seeding chemicals which brought the rainfall of some 180 million tons.
A total of 87 counties in central and southern provinces welcomed rain.
The central government yesterday provided 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) of special funding to induce rain.
But some farmers say it is not enough.
Li Minping, a wheat farmer in Yaodu village of Shanxi's Yuncheng city, said the showers were not enough to salve his parched 32-hectare wheat field.
"Now I still need to hire people to dig a motor-pumped well, which costs at least 60,000 yuan (8,800 U.S. dollars)," said the 55-year-old.
He said the drought would lead to a loss of about 150,000 yuan for him. "I hope the government could provide us a subsidy or loan."
(Source: China Daily)
Drought-resistant seeds to help growers
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.
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China's armed forces join battle against devastating drought
BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Chinese media) -- China's armed forces, which have frequently battled natural disasters, have been mobilized to help farmers cope with a severe drought that has jeopardized crops, people and livestock.
The Liberation Army Daily reported Monday that 2,325 armed police and 76 vehicles have been dispatched to farm areas in the central province of Henan since Friday. Soldiers helped farmers dredge aqueducts and irrigate more than 2,900 mu (about 193 hectares) of crops. Full story
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
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