Drought in 10 regions threatens to ravage autumn grain harvest

Drought is spreading in both the north and south of the country, as the number of people and livestock facing water shortages continue to rise and more crops are affected, Premier Wen Jiabao warns.

With severe drought affecting 10 provinces and regions, Mr Wen made a two-day, high-profile visit to the Inner Mongolia region and called on local officials to acknowledge the 'extreme importance' of drought relief efforts and give priority to providing water.

'Currently, the drought in northern China continues to worsen, while new signs of drought have appeared in southern China,' Mr Wen was quoted as saying during his tour on Friday and yesterday.

'[Officials of affected areas] should undertake drought relief and damage control as the most urgent and important mission among all their tasks related to the rural population and the agricultural sector.'

Dry spells of varying duration had hit various regions this year. But severe drought this month has hit 10 regions, including major grain production provinces such as Hunan , Liaoning , Heilongjiang and Jilin .

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Office said 12.73 million hectares of crops had been affected this summer - the size of drought-hit farmland is 35 per cent larger than the average in previous years, Xinhua reported yesterday.