The ongoing drought is creating an increasingly dire situation and threatening the food supply, AFP reports:
“Right now, this is the critical period for the growth of winter crops,” E Jingping, a top drought relief official, told a news conference.
“If in 15 days there is no precipitation, the situation in the winter wheat zone will be more severe and the next stage for drought-relief operations will be abnormally difficult.”
China has been firing thousands of shells and rockets packed with cloud-seeding chemicals in a desperate bid to spark rain across the northern Chinese wheat-growing heartland.
Premier Wen Jiabao said at the weekend that the drought — which also has hit central and southwestern rice-growing provinces — risked straining food supplies when people already faced hardships due to the economic crisis.
Yet a Reuters story from last week says that despite the reports of pending disaster, China has enough grain in reserve to survive the drought:
While farmers are not yet in the clear — the damage could get worse if crops are starved of water during their critical growing phase in March and April — China also has a sizeable supply cushion should the damage spread.
Last year China exported only 126,000 tonnes before the government suspended exports, concerned about a spike in global prices that could have drained its stocks. To prevent a glut and pressure on farm incomes, the state bought up 43 million tonnes of wheat, adding extra reserves to existing stockpiles.
“Even in the worst-case scenario, the government, with 60 million tonnes of wheat stocks, has the ability to ensure supplies and control prices,” said Ma Wenfeng, an analyst with Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consult Ltd.
