Snowfalls and rain ease northern China drought
Beijing. March 1. INTERFAX-CHINA - Recent snowfalls and rain in northern China have eased the region's worst drought for 60 years, the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (SFDH) announced Feb. 28.
Around 37.82 million mu (25,213.33 square kilometers) of winter wheat crops in northern provinces, including Shandong, Hebei and Henan, were suffering from drought as of Feb. 28, down from a Feb. 9 peak of 115.95 million mu (77,300.04 square kilometers), according to the announcement.
Rain levels in Shandong and Henan provinces totaled 17.2 millimeters and 16.8 millimeters, respectively, between Feb. 25 and Feb. 28.
However, the SFDH warned that 3.28 million people and 2.73 million livestock in the region were suffering from water scarcity, and that warmer temperatures and growing water demand from springtime agriculture production would worsen the situation.
So far this month, northern provinces have used 7.8 billion cubic meters of water to irrigate their winter wheat plantations, the SFDH said.
Wheat futures for this September on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange fell to RMB 2,821 ($429.31) per ton on Feb. 24, down from a high of RMB 3,110 ($473.29) per ton on Feb. 14.
-Li Xin