Severe drought forces corn farmers in China’s east to delay planting

JINAN, (China): After weeks of scorching heat and little rain, farmer Zhang Yunjing had no choice but to collect water from a wastewater pipe to irrigate her parched corn field in China’s eastern Shandong province.

Zhang would normally use water from a nearby river for the half hectare (1.24 acre) field, but it dried up a month ago. Record high temperatures have swept across northwest and east China, a key grain producing region, during the crucial corn sowing season, threatening to curb production in the world’s second-largest producer and consumer of the grain.

“There is no water,” Zhang said. “Look, people are going to other villages to collect water. Seeds are not sprouting without water.” China, also the world’s No. 1 corn importer, produced a record 288.8 million metric tons last year and aims to grow more to achieve food security, but climate shocks are posing big challenges. The agriculture ministry warned this week that the drought is impacting the sowing and growth of new crops. Beijing has allocated 443 million yuan ($61.1 million) for drought prevention work such as watering, replanting and adding fertiliser in seven provinces.

Lower grain output in the world’s top cereal importer will encourage higher purchases from exporters such as Brazil, the United States and Argentina, underpinning global prices and food inflation. The seven, drought-hit provinces account for roughly 35% of China’s corn production, although some areas are likely to escape severe damage because they have irrigation capacity.

The heat hit Shandong, a major agricultural province, just as farmers were wrapping up their wheat harvest, damaging some of the ripened grain.