Extreme weather threatens China’s food security, with forecasts of summer droughts and floods
- Government analysis says heavy rain could hit grain producers in northeast while eastern provinces may see typhoon-related disasters
- Meanwhile, southwestern regions could experience 20 to 50 per cent drop in rainfall, agencies warn
An analysis, published on the ministry’s website on Friday, predicted that northeastern and northern China, home to some of the country’s top grain-producing provinces, might experience heavy rain, floods and hailstorms from June to August.
The National Disaster Reduction Committee Office and ministries of natural resources, water resources, agriculture and rural affairs as well as the China Meteorological Administration and State Forestry and Grassland Administration also contributed to the analysis.
According to the report, there is a significant risk of flooding in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, the Songliao River, the Songhua River and the Heilongjiang River, among others.
These areas include Henan, China’s largest wheat-growing province, as well as the northeastern Heilongjiang province, known as China’s “grain barn”, along with other major grain producers.
While the north may face a heightened risk of water-related disasters, the south is highly likely to face drought, according to the government analysis.
Southwest China’s Chongqing municipality and Sichuan province, both major aluminium suppliers and home to renewable energy facilities, may have a 20 to 50 per cent reduction in rainfall, heightening the risk of summer drought.
Meanwhile eastern China, which serves as a key engine of economic growth, may experience typhoon-related disasters as the storms make landfall earlier than usual this year.
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Why is the Chinese government so concerned about food security?
Facing climate change, supply-chain upheavals and external uncertainties, including the Ukraine war, Beijing has repeatedly declared food security an urgent priority, with President Xi Jinping calling agriculture a “national security issue of extreme importance”.
In recent years, Chinese authorities have stepped up efforts to ensure the country has enough food to feed its 1.4 billion people. However, a spate of extreme spring weather and the latest prediction might hamper China’s efforts to safeguard its food security and compound concerns about the country’s economic recovery.
A total of 184 national meteorological stations across China recorded extreme events from March to May, with temperatures at 77 stations hitting or breaking historical records in the same period, according to another report published by China’s national climate centre.
China’s average temperatures were higher than usual from March to May, ranking seventh highest on record, while overall rainfall reached its lowest level since 2012 during the period, the climate centre said.
The extreme weather varied between regions, with southern and southwestern China experiencing below-average rainfall in the spring, while northern China experienced above-average rainfall.
Yunnan province in the southwest faced a severe winter and spring drought, which negatively affected the growth of spring crops. The province is China’s second-largest source of hydropower, with 80 per cent of its local power supply coming from hydropower, but the drought caused a shortfall in electricity generation because of low water inflows.
