China flood jeopardises grain output

around 75 percent of China’s annual grain production, with farmers in the Huang-Huai-Hai region fighting the clock to salvage damaged crops. Also known as the North China Plain, it is China’s largest summer corn and winter wheat belt, spanning provinces such as Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Anhui, and Jiangsu. According to China’s National Climate Centre, major grain-producing provinces such as Henan and Shandong have experienced the longest and heaviest rainy season in six decades. The region accounts for at least 30pc of China’s total corn output, but excessive soil moisture has made harvesting impossible in many fields, and there are already reports of unharvested crops sprouting and developing mould. There is also the added risk of a deterioration in the quality of the corn that has already been harvested. Farmers are reportedly rushing to sell their new-crop production straight off the header rather than putting it into storage and taking on the quality and financial risks. Corn ...