Plans tackled for China’s food crisis threat

A drought in the north China plain (the country’s winter wheat production region) has added to food supply concerns, and led to a significant increase in the country’s wheat prices.

The worst drought to hit China in 60 years has triggered concerns over how the country can tackle a water crisis whilst meeting food security challenges.

Eight of China's major wheat-growing provinces, which account for 80 per cent of the country's total wheat output, have been hit by the four-month drought.

Light to moderate snowfall in several northern Chinese regions over the weekend offered limited help to alleviate the problem.

Meteorological authorities resorted to seeding clouds in order to increase snowfall, hoping to ease the drought. It helped to bring snowfall this weekend in Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin and, for the first time, in most parts of Shandong. It did not reduce the threat of a food crisis.

Last week, in a special alert on China, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS) unit warned: “The on-going drought is potentially a serious problem.”

Low precipitation and diminished snow cover have reduced the protection of dormant wheat plants against frost kill temperatures during winter months from December to February, according to the alert. The conditions have also jeopardized the soil moisture availability for the post-dormant growing period.

Over a third of winter wheat crops (around 5.16 million hectares) may have been affected, according to official estimates. The drought has also led to drinking water shortages for more than 2.5 million people, and has affected livestock.

China has announced a billion dollars in emergency water aid to ease the severe drought. However, farmers are concerned that the support may have come too late to save the wheat harvest.

The price of wheat has increased, leaving people in poorer regions desperately hungry. The national average retail price of wheat flour in China rose by more than 8 per cent last month compared to two months earlier, and stood at 16 per cent higher than last year. Beijing has promised to use its grain reserves and raise minimum rice purchase price to mitigate the impact of the drought.

“Although the current winter drought has, so far, not affected winter wheat productivity, the situation could become critical if a spring drought follows the winter one and the temperatures in February fall below normal,” said the FAO report last Tuesday (8 February).

Global Crop Diversity Trust, in a press release issued on 10 December 2010, announced the search to save the wild relatives of wheat and other key food crops, to try to protect global food supplies against climate change.

The research could lead to a groundbreaking development in ensuring agriculture and humanity adapt to climate changes, such as those experienced in China.

The wild species contain essential traits that could be bred into crops to make them more versatile when faced with dramatic climate changes.

According to the partners of the project, on average a new crop variety takes 7-10 years to breed, so it is essential for the work to start as soon as possible. "If we wait until the climate has changed, it will be too late. Delaying adaptation is short-sighted and the poor will pay the heaviest price," said Erik Solheim, Minister of the Environment and International Development in Norway.

Experts with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Sunday (13 February) that China should continue with anti-drought efforts.

China’s Premier, Wen Jiabao, stressed the importance of long-term measures to address the water problem, including strengthening farmland irrigation, promoting water conservancy construction and boosting irrigation systems.

Image: Bo47 | Flickr