China warns that prolonged heat wave could damage rice and cotton crops

By Mei Mei Chu BEIJING (Reuters) - China's meteorological department warned on Thursday that a prolonged heatwave forecast for the country's eastern, central and southern regions in July could affect rice and cotton production as extreme weather continues threatening food production. The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said it expects temperatures in most areas of China to be relatively high in the coming months, signaling a second consecutive summer of extreme heat. "It is necessary to guard against the risk of reduced productivity of cotton, early rice and late rice caused by high temperature and heat damage," said Jia Xiaolong, deputy director of CMA, at a press conference. Summer temperatures in regions including Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Gansu and Ningxia are expected to be 1 to 2 degrees Celsius above normal, the CMA said. China is experiencing hotter and longer heat waves, as well as more frequent and unpredictable heavy rains, as a ...