Extreme temperatures in the country are now posing a serious threat to crops and harvests in China, causing many water sources to dry up. The authorities are warning and sounding the alarm about the food security of the Asian economic giant. For the first time in its history, at least since 1961, when the corresponding meteorological records began to be compiled, China experienced such a hot summer with such a strong and, most importantly, such a long heat wave. The Yangtze River, the country’s main source of drinking water, has dried up in many areas, and for two months the meteorological service has continuously issued warnings of extremely high temperatures in many Chinese cities. At the same time, it obliges local authorities to set quotas for electricity consumption. Weather conditions are the main problem of agricultural production in the country, where even under normal conditions there is not enough arable land. So on Tuesday, four ministries urged the government to take action to protect crops and use every drop of water “sparingly”.

In recent months, experts have already raised concerns about China’s harvest as pandemic restrictions have delayed spring planting. Food security is a particularly sensitive issue in China because the country has faced famine many times in its history.

The authorities are warning and ringing the bell of the danger to the food security of the Asian economic giant.

China produces more than 95% of its needs in rice, wheat and corn. But crop failures risk boosting imports in the world’s most populous country, while grain stocks are already under pressure due to the war in Ukraine. Temperatures reached record highs in many Chinese cities, and the mercury rose to 45 degrees Celsius in the southwestern part of the country.

In early August, China’s meteorological service acknowledged that the country’s temperature had more than doubled the global average since 1951, and this trend is expected to continue into the future. Due to the lack of water for crops, China is trying to artificially induce rain by spraying the clouds with silver iodide.