Drought Destroys Wheat Crops in China

In China, the wheat harvest may decrease by 5% by the end of the year. In this case, the volumes will be the lowest since 2018. This forecast is published by the Bloomberg agency. The reason is a severe drought that has affected the key agricultural regions of the country.

This is what the agricultural lands of Shaanxi Province in northwestern China look like now. Usually, farmers harvest wheat in June and distribute it to grain storage facilities. However, this year, due to the abnormal heat, the grain does not have time to ripen, the fields dry out. The situation is aggravated by the prolonged lack of precipitation. It has not rained here since December last year. Farmers are trying to collect at least what they have. So far, this is only 20% of the entire wheat harvest.

Zhou Yaping, farmer:

– Usually, we have rain every year from February to March. But this year, not a drop has fallen. I have not seen anything like this here for 20 years. Just look at the ground, it is all cracked. And the ear of corn, which used to produce five grains, now produces only two.

A similar situation is observed in the southern province of Guangxi. There, the thermometer has been hovering around +40 degrees for more than a month. This is the highest air temperature in the region in the last 65 years. Against the backdrop of abnormal weather, farmers complain that they are suffering losses. According to local media, since May, drought has destroyed crops on 50 thousand hectares of farmland.

Hou Jiang, farmer:

– There is not enough water for household needs or to water the cattle. What can we say about water for irrigation? It is brought here only once a day, before noon.

The reservoirs are also drying up. According to Bloomberg, due to drought in China this year, the lowest wheat harvest in the last 7 years is expected. In addition to grain, other key crops for the country, such as rice, potatoes, corn, cotton, are also under threat

Tags: China, wheat, drought