China's meteorological bureau warned on Thursday that a prolonged heat wave in the country's eastern, central and southern regions in July could harm rice and cotton production, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said it expects temperatures in most parts of China to be relatively high over the next few months, signaling a second consecutive summer of extreme heat.
"It is necessary to take measures against the risk of reduced yields of cotton, early and late rice caused by high temperature and heat," said Jia Xiaolong, deputy director of the CMA, at the briefing.
Summer temperatures in regions including Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Gansu and Ningxia are expected to be 1-2 degrees Celsius above normal, according to the CMA.
The Meteorological Bureau has warned that China is facing hotter and longer heat waves, as well as more frequent and unpredictable rainstorms as a result of climate change.
Last month's record temperatures have already hurt key grain-producing provinces in the northwest and east, forcing corn farmers to postpone planting, while rainstorms in other regions have flooded soybean and rice fields.
In its annual climate Blue Book, the CMA warned that maximum temperatures across the country could rise by 1.7-2.8 degrees Celsius within 30 years, with eastern China and the northwestern region of Xinjiang suffering the most from climate change.
The Meteorological Bureau also reported that two typhoons could hit mainland China in July. The typhoons are expected to move in a westerly or northwesterly direction, authorities said.
Addendum
Extreme weather conditions are harming crop production around the world as the impact of climate change intensifies: vast swaths of farmland, including in China, India and the United States, are experiencing extremely hot weather and below-normal rainfall, which is reducing global supplies and driving up prices, the publication writes.