China’s chief meteorologist has reported that the severe droughts of recent months should not significantly affect the country’s winter wheat harvest. From Xinhua:
Zheng Guoguang, head of the China Meteorological Administration, told Xinhua that the drought, which started in October last year in major wheat producing regions in the north, had mainly affected the surface layer of soil, while moisture in deeper layers remained.
“Another round of rain and snow over the weekend in these drought-hit areas, and irrigation efforts by local governments are helping mitigate the impact of the drought,” Zheng said.
“Only in some areas in Shandong and Henan provinces, the most severely- stricken provinces, is soil moisture inadequate for wheat growth,” Zheng said ….
He said the country should strengthen agricultural protection against natural risks by expanding food reserves, improving meteorological and natural disaster forecasting, and developing water-efficient irrigation technologies.
