Ministries coordinate on drought response to protect harvests

China will beef up efforts to ensure the autumn grain harvest despite challenges posed by severe heat and drought in southern parts of China since late July, according to a circular released on Tuesday.

The circular was jointly released by the ministries of agriculture and rural affairs, water resources, emergency management and meteorological administration, calling for communication and accurate deployment to deal with the situation.

Water resources departments are urged to guarantee water use for irrigation amid the crucial time for crop growth, while meteorological departments should dispatch operational aircraft to drought-stricken areas and carry out artificial precipitation in a timely manner.

Targeted measures to fight against drought and heat are expected to be taken based on different irrigating and crop conditions, the circular said.

Using water to control temperatures is the key method to alleviate drought in areas with good irrigating conditions. Fields in water-scarce areas that can only be irrigated by rainfall have to rely on water transferred from well pumps and artificial precipitation.

Farmers are suggested to switch to sweet potatoes or coarse cereals on fields that have encountered complete harvest failure. Scientifically spraying foliar fertilizer on middle rice will make up for grain loss, the agriculture ministry said.