China's drought may have a serious global impact
Wide swaths of northern China are experiencing the worst drought in 60 years; if it lasts much longer, experts warn, it might have a major economic impact on the entire world.
According to China's drought management organization, some areas have gone 120 days without receiving any major rainfall, damaging more than five million hectares (12.4 million acres) of crops—an area the size of South Korea.
Concerns have been raised that the issue, which comes at a time when food prices are already giving countries trouble, could send global prices rising. The UN reports that world prices reached a record high last month, surpassing their 2008 peak levels.
According to Ma Wenfeng, an analyst with Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultants, "wheat output could be badly disrupted, with losses of more than 10 million tonnes," if the dry period persists into March or April.
Wide swaths of northern China are experiencing the worst drought in 60 years; if it lasts much longer, experts warn, it might have a major economic impact on the entire world.
China would be compelled to increase imports.
More than 2.5 million people lack access to clean drinking water, primarily in Shandong and Henan's eastern and central provinces, which are home to some 95 million people each.
The Yellow River basin and the area along the Huai, the river that separates the north from the wheat-growing regions and the south from the rice-producing regions, are not expected to receive much rain during the next two months according to weather forecasters.
Local media reports that Rizhao city, which means "unny" in Shandong, has experienced the greatest drought in 300 years, beginning on September 11.
Beijing, on the other hand, has gone 100 days without rain or snow, which is a record since 1951. After two months of extremely low temperatures, the water deficit is also anticipated to get worse as warmer weather arrives.
Some sections of the country have cracked earth, and if it doesn't rain in the coming weeks, farmers' autumn wheat plantings may not even sprout when the weather heats up.
According to Ma, countries that export wheat, like the United States, Russia, or France, are keenly watching the weather forecast for both China and India, which is going through an even worse drought.
Both the world's major producers and consumers of wheat are China and India.
