Farmers are operating combine harvesters to harvest wheat in Neihuang county, Anyang, Henan Province on June 2, 2023. Photo: VCG

China's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian visited areas hit by heavy rain in Central China's Henan Province to guide disaster relief and went to North China's Hebei Province to guide crop harvesting and management on June 1 and 2. Tang called for all-out efforts to reduce damage and protect the summer grain harvest, according to the official website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MOA) on Monday.

The harvest season for wheat has already started in Henan, but the province has been hit by continuous rainfall since May 25. Cities including Zhumadian, Luohe and Xuchang have been seriously affected by the rain.

Tang went to Zhumadian to inspect the wheat germination process. Experts said that the affected wheat can be used for food, feed or industrial alcohol processing, and the impact on the yield is mainly down to the decline in weight due to insufficient sunlight.

In the service outlet for the summer grain harvest in Suiping county, Tang talked with staff members about the use of agricultural machinery for emergency transport and disaster relief as well as cross-zone operations.

He said that the summer grain harvest and sowing should be the top priority for the agricultural work, and the rush to harvest and dry wheat is a vital task, which will require the local government to pay close attention to weather changes and release timely weather warnings, as well as arranging for agricultural machinery to work day and night to ensure that the crops can be collected quickly.

Tang added that the authorities should use all kinds of drying facilities and use places for air drying except highways, cultural squares and school yards, in order to reduce the moisture content of the wheat. The local government should also give technical guidance for summer sowing by crop, to ensure the increase of the summer grain sowing area.

Henan has gathered an emergency fund of 200 million yuan ($28.23 million) for drying wheat and ensuring the quality of the crop. Local agricultural insurance underwriters have been guided to do their best to settle wheat insurance claims so as to guarantee farmers' profits.

In a village of Xuchang city, Tang talked with planters and an insurance company about damage losses, insurance coverage and the claims process. He also went to a reserve to research summer grain acquisition preparation.

Tang noted that the local government should further strengthen disaster mitigation services, and actively coordinate with agricultural insurance agencies to optimize the damage claims process in order to reduce farmers' losses.

In addition, the authorities should guide and support all kinds of storage bodies to actively purchase wheat as this can support farmers' enthusiasm to cultivate grain. For wheat that does not meet the edible standard, relevant departments should strictly implement special collection and storage for special use to ensure the quality and safety of the food supply, Tang added.

The minister visited a village in Cheng'an county to inspect the growth of wheat and field management as well as the implementation of measures to cope with extreme weather. He went to the wheat seed field in Cheng'an township, and asked in detail about the breeding of high-yielding varieties and the scope of suitable areas for planting.

Tang said that as the large-scale wheat machine harvest is in full swing, the local government should provide summer grain harvest services, improve a mechanized production emergency plan and ensure the smooth use of agricultural machinery for cross-area operations.

The MOA also sent a team to Hubei, Anhui, Shaanxi, Shandong and other wheat-planting areas to supervise and guide sowing, harvest and management of the summer crop.

Global Times