Chinese Drought Cost 5 Million Tons In Grain - 1% Of National Output

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The worst drought in southwest China in half a century has severely impacted local farms, causing a combined loss of five million tonnes of grain, state media said Thursday.

The loss, roughly one percent of the national grain output for the entire year, is the result of drought hitting 2.1 million hectares (5.2 million acres) of agricultural land across Sichuan province, the China Daily said.

A month-long heat wave has caused a dry spell in 112 of Sichuan's 181 counties, threatening the supply of drinking water for nearly 10 million people, according to the paper.

To make up for some of the shortfall of the summer, local authorities have ordered farmers to boost planting of late-autumn crops such as sweet potatoes, yams and beans by about 15 percent.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/2006/060824041447.ywlza7oj.html