A recent heat wave has engulfed northern China, posing a tough new challenge to the nation’s agricultural industry, which is already coping with the hotter and drier conditions brought on by the El Nino weather trend.
China’s temperatures is nearing 42C (107.6F), which are records, were recorded in Beijing, Tianjin, and fifteen other weather stations located in northern provinces including Hebei and Shandong.
The severe temperatures and minimal rainfall are expected to last throughout the week, according to the National Meteorological Centre’s assessment on Monday, posing a serious threat to vital crops like wheat, corn, soybeans, and cotton.
According to the weather center’s assessment, several regions of northeastern China have had negative effects on the growth of corn and soybeans, including potential delays in the planting of summer corn and increased disease pressure from pests. These unfavorable circumstances also threaten cotton production from the northwest Xinjiang region.
It’s interesting that while the north struggles with dryness, the south is seeing a lot of rain, which could hurt rice production. There are worries that this year’s weather disruptions may surpass those of 2022, when high temperatures increased food prices and inflation, due to the expanding number of agricultural risks.
Julian Evans-Pritchard and other Capital Economics experts claim that the summer heat wave of 2013 provides important information on the possible effects on China’s food supply and prices. The consumer price index’s food component increased 3.8% between June and October after being seasonally adjusted, adding 0.8 percentage points to overall inflation.
The present heat wave highlights the need for aggressive actions to protect China’s agricultural stability and food security as difficulties continue to increase.
Source: Bloomberg
