Experts analyze the impact of drought in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River on food production

The land of fish and rice, which is supposed to be full of rain, is experiencing a drought that is rare in history. How long will the drought last? Does it have an impact on food production? The reporter asked the meteorological and agricultural experts to interpret this.

According to the climate monitoring of the China Meteorological Administration, from January 1 to May 23, most of the precipitation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River was 30% to 80% less than normal. The average precipitation in Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Shanghai. The volume was the lowest since 1954.

“The reason for the low water level in the Yangtze River is mainly due to the lack of rain in the Yangtze River basin some time ago.” Zhou Bin, chief expert of the National Climate Center, said that since the beginning of this year, the Northwest Pacific subtropical high has been weaker than the historical period, and the location is eastward, and water vapor is difficult to transport. To the inland areas, it is not conducive to the formation of precipitation in the intersection of the cold and warm air.

The Central Meteorological Observatory estimates that from the 26th, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River will be dominated by sunny and hot weather. From the 27th to the 29th, some areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River will have sunny or hot weather with a maximum daily temperature of 34-36 degrees Celsius. The drought will continue or develop in some areas.

The reporter learned from the Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture that the grain area and output of Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces accounted for 11% and 13% of the national total, respectively. The area and total output of early rice and double-season late rice accounted for 54.3% and 55.7% of the national total, respectively. .

“Severe drought in some areas will have an adverse impact on the normal growth and development of early rice, cotton, vegetables and other crops in the field and the cultivation of mid-season rice,” said Song Yingbo, a senior researcher at the Agricultural Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration.

According to the latest agricultural dispatch of the Ministry of Agriculture, as of May 21, the drought-affected areas of Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces reached 32.04 million mu, of which the early rice was affected by 9.58 million mu; the paddy field lacked more than 9.7 million mu. The drought is mainly concentrated in the majority of Hubei, the Dongting Lake area in Hunan, the mountainous hilly areas in western Hunan, and the Poyang Lake area in Jiangxi.

The good news is that the previous precipitation has effectively alleviated the drought in some areas. Song Yingbo told reporters that since May 21, there has been a significant rainfall process in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The heavy rainfall area is basically coincident with the heavy drought area, which is very beneficial to the growth and development of early rice and the cultivation of mid-season rice.

As of May 23, the drought-affected areas of Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces were 7.6 million mu, a decrease of 24.44 million mu from the 21st; the water shortage in the paddy fields was 6.9 million mu, a decrease of 2.8 million mu from the 21st. Among them, the drought-affected area of ​​crops in Hubei decreased from 19.59 million mu before rainfall to 7.21 million mu; the drought-affected area of ​​crops in Jiangxi decreased from 3 million mu before rainfall to 390,000 mu; the drought situation of 9.45 million mu of crops in Hunan was basically alleviated, and the dry land in 3 provinces The drought of crops and early rice was basically lifted.

Faced with severe drought in some areas, all relevant departments and regions have taken active actions and taken measures to combat drought and ensure production.

The Ministry of Agriculture has sent four working groups led by the leaders of the Ministry and the leaders of the bureaus to investigate the drought, conduct drought supervision, guide the implementation of scientific drought relief measures, and strive to minimize the impact of disasters and ensure spring crops. The area is stable. At present, the early rice transplanting in the three provinces has ended, an increase of more than 1.5 million mu over last year.

Meteorological departments at all levels have carried out large-scale aerial and ground-based rainfall enhancement operations by capturing favorable weather conditions during the previous rainfall process. The China Meteorological Administration said that it will closely monitor future weather changes and seize all favorable conditions to fully carry out artificial weather-affecting operations.

The National Defense General has substantially increased the discharge of the Three Gorges Reservoir, eased the water supply, irrigation, water diversion and shipping pressure along the Yangtze River, and protected the drought-resistant water and shipping safety in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The affected provinces mobilized their strength and resources and invested in disaster prevention.

Hubei Province launched a three-level response to natural disaster relief, and sent several working groups to Jingzhou, Huanggang and other places to investigate the drought; Jiangxi has also increased investment in drought relief. So far, a total of 212 million yuan of drought-resistant funds have been invested. 410,000 sets of mobile drought-resistant equipment (sets), temporarily solved the difficulty of drinking water for the people of 112,300.