Wen expresses sympathy for drought victims

BEIJING, April 5 (UPI) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited the country's southwest region where a drought has affected tens of millions of people and millions of acres of crops.

After inspecting the dry conditions and discussing relief measures in Guizhou, one of the provinces in the drought-hit region, Wen told a group of villagers: "The government, the party, as well as the people nationwide all have the greatest sympathy for you," Xinhua news agency reported Monday.

The report said at a time when there should be spring planting the drought has made farming impossible in parts of the province.

The premier, who was visiting the drought-hit areas for the third time this year, was most concerned about the scarcity of drinking water brought on by the drought.

Earlier official estimates said the drought had affected about 62 million people and more than 12 million acres of crops since last fall. About 18 million residents and more than 11 million head of livestock faced drinking-water shortages.

Other provinces affected by the drought include Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing and Guangxi. Direct economic losses have already exceeded more than $3 billion.

Late last month, Wen warned that meeting this year's grain-output target of 500 billion kilograms or about 552 million tons would be "a test for sure" due to the drought.

The drought also has caused prices of goods to soar, affecting much of the food chain, including tea, herbs, fruit and grain, earlier reports said.