Share

Drought hits China food production

Beijing - Severe drought and scorching heat has damaged over a million hectares of farmland in China's Henan and Inner Mongolia provinces, with no immediate relief in sight, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Henan in central China is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years with precipitation at less than half of normal levels, the agency said. Some 900 000 hectares of crops have been damaged, it said.

Henan is a big producer of food crops, including soy beans, barley and rice. In some regions of the province, governments have shut off water supply to businesses such as commercial swimming pools and bath houses, while water intensive industries have been asked to restrict usage, Xinhua said.

In Inner Mongolia, a drought ongoing since April has affected 150 000 hectares of farmland and 16.4 million hectares of pastures, while robbing 300 000 people of drinking water, said Xinhua.

The Inner Mongolia drought was estimated to have cost $37 million so far.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Election day is approaching, have you made your voting decision?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, I still haven't made up my mind
27% - 2598 votes
Yes, I know where my ‘X is going
73% - 6935 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.23
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.74
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.46
-0.0%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.40
-0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-0.2%
Platinum
917.80
-1.4%
Palladium
996.50
-1.9%
Gold
2,304.58
-1.0%
Silver
26.86
-1.2%
Brent Crude
87.00
-0.3%
Top 40
67,497
0.0%
All Share
73,551
0.0%
Resource 10
60,937
0.0%
Industrial 25
101,060
0.0%
Financial 15
15,616
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE