No rice, no soybeans, no corn: drought in China threatens to starve the world

Novye Izvestia has already reported on the serious problems China has faced due to the unprecedented heat. In the southern provinces of this country, the production of gadgets and cars has been suspended, as there is an acute shortage of water - the Yangtze River, for example, in the city of Wuhan can be crossed on foot - and therefore electricity. And here's the new message: Scorching heat in China's central and southwestern regions and flooding in the northeast threaten the harvest season of grain harvests that reach hundreds of millions of tons annually, writes Bloomberg.

The most dangerous risk for the PRC is a reduction in production and increased dependence on imports, which could increase pressure on the rest of the world. Harvest and food exports in other parts of the world are also under threat due to abnormal weather, putting China - the world's largest food importer - in a difficult position.

"The impact of adverse weather conditions will now weaken mainland China's net food balance in the current harvest cycle," said Charles Hart, commodities analyst at Fitch Solutions. He noted that about 75% of the total grain for the year is harvested in the autumn harvest, according to the results of this harvest, it will be determined whether China will reach the target of 650 million tons of products.

The worst drought since the early 1960s, hitting regions along the Yangtze River and Sichuan province, is attributed to the fact that almost half of the country's rice is produced in this area. As you know, a lot of water is used in its cultivation.

“The crops that will be mostly affected are corn and rice”, - said Darin Friedrichs, co-founder of Sitonia Consulting. Some of the soybean production in the Yangtze River Delta has also been affected, he said, although most of China's oilseeds are produced in the north.

In China's northeast breadbasket, heavy rains have flooded parts of Liaoning and Jilin provinces, which could cut corn production by 4.5 million tons, according to a report from commodity broker Yongan Futures Co. China is expected to produce about 270 million tons of corn this season, about the same as the previous year.

The extent of the crop loss is still dependent on the weather, and forecasters have good news to that effect: rains are expected in southern China in the next 10 days, which is likely to ease the drought in some regions.

Extreme heat and drought are also jeopardizing summer crop yields in Europe, the Evening Telegram channel reports.