BEIJING, April 4 (UPI) -- Drought is threatening China's spring planting, which could affect crops that feed 9.38 million people and 8.9 million livestock, a state report says.
The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said in a report Sunday that drought conditions have persisted since last autumn, putting at risk the country's main staple crops, rice in southern China's Hainan and Guangdong provinces and wheat in northern provinces like Shanxi and Gansu.
Large stretches of cropland are parched as rivers and reservoirs have dried up in affected areas. Experts have been dispatched to drought-stricken provinces to help secure water supplies for irrigation.
The organization said it was consulting with the Ministry of Finance over aid allocation for the worst hit areas.
Chinese news sources say drinking water in a number of coastal provinces has also reached crisis proportions, with millions of residents lacking regular supplies.
