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Chinese dairy regions hit by drought
China has been missing as a major buyer in the global dairy market for many months, but persistent drought combined with extreme heat is ravaging China's dairy regions. This is increasingly affecting production.
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Chinese media report that severe drought is occurring in northwestern Inner Mongolia, northern Hebei, and northeastern Liaoning. The situation is less serious in the areas just below, but there is also damage to the crop. According to Chinese media, about 3 million hectares of agricultural land for dairy farming have been severely affected. Crops have dried up or stopped growing. As a result, 760.000 livestock would suffer from feed shortages.
200.000 people would also have insufficient food. This seems to be a relatively limited number for China, but the north of the country is relatively sparsely populated.
The effects on the total dairy supply in the country do not yet appear to be significantly noticeable, but will become apparent in the near future. It is not the only problem for Chinese agriculture. The south, on the other hand, is struggling with flooding, affecting rice and other grain crops. Previously, the central part of the country suffered from drought and heat, which also damaged rice and fish cultivation there.
Scientists attribute the weather extremes to the El Niño effect. The Chinese leadership is closely monitoring developments and expresses its concern about its own self-sufficiency and food security.