China warns floods could aggravate crop diseases, infestation in north-east
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Floodwaters blanketing a corn farm in Hebei province, after two typhoons barrelled across north and north-eastern China.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BEIJING – China on Wednesday called for more measures to protect its crops after warning that recent floods in its grain-producing north-east region could worsen diseases and infestations.
So far, diseases and pest infestations have been “relatively light”, with no significant impact on the autumn grain production.
But the Agricultural Ministry warned in a statement that the flooding “may exacerbate the prevalence” of diseases that affect corn, rice and soya beans.
China’s northern and north-eastern regions were inundated with heavy rain and flooding in recent weeks, brought on by Typhoons Doksuri and Khanun.
The extreme weather may lead to severe pest infestations that target cotton, corn and soya bean in some areas, the ministry said.
It said the northern armyworm has been found in 9,066ha in Keyou Middle Banner, Xingan League, Inner Mongolia, of which an area of 1,333ha was severely affected.
The ministry held a meeting in north-eastern Heilongjiang province on Tuesday to discuss prevention and control of major autumn grain diseases and pests in the region, known as China’s “great northern granary”.
The rain has affected 258,000ha, almost 2 per cent, of the sown area in Heilongjiang, China’s largest grain-producing province.
The ministry has maintained the 2023-2024 corn output estimate unchanged at 282.34 million tonnes, even though it said some producing areas have been flooded.
On Monday, China’s Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong said damaged farmland, water conservation and other infrastructure needed to be quickly repaired to ensure a speedy recovery in grain production. REUTERS
