Since July this year, Henan, known as the “granary of Central Plains,” has been experiencing the most severe heatwave in 64 years during the same period. About 41% of the meteorological monitoring stations in the province have reported severe or above meteorological drought, posing a serious threat to the autumn crops. Experts have assessed that this drought is the most severe in 25 years and will have a significant impact on the peanut and corn yields.
Henan province, known as a major agricultural province in China, is now facing a rare drought situation on the land once praised as the “granary of Central Plains.” Public data shows that the average temperature in Henan province for the entire month of July this year has reached the highest level since 1961. From July 1st to 29th, the average precipitation in Zhumadian was only 6.2 millimeters, which is 96.6% below the normal level for the same period.
Currently, the drought is mainly concentrated in Zhumadian, Zhoukou, Nanyang, and other areas, with Zhumadian facing particularly severe drought conditions.
According to a report by “The Beijing News” on August 6th, the local land has been suffering from drought since May, which worsened dramatically in July. The ground is filled with cracks, some wide enough to easily fit a person’s hand. Local farmers have to rely on well water to irrigate their fields, and the corn yield is estimated to decrease significantly.
“It’s even worse than last year.” Xu Sheng, a villager from Cuilou Village in Shahezhen, Yicheng District of Zhumadian City, expressed his frustration. Last year, he borrowed 150,000 yuan to lease 200 acres of land in the village, but encountered a disastrous sequence of events – first drought and then flooding: The corn that survived two rounds of irrigation was submerged on 50 acres during a heavy rain in July last year. He hoped for a turnaround this summer but was faced with consecutive droughts in spring and summer this year.
Xu mentioned that the rainfall in spring was insufficient, leading to an early harvest of wheat before it fully ripened, resulting in a 50% decrease in yield. As the drought worsened in July, the last effective rainfall was over a month ago.
“After a brief morning shower, the ground dries up by the evening.” Xu explained that the corn should be entering the crucial tasseling stage, requiring significant water supply. Some plants have withered, with crisp leaves, or easily breaking stems upon touch. Even those that appear better have thin and deformed kernels inside – a heartbreaking sight.
Xu’s spending on irrigation has exceeded his initial estimates, with the purchase of two water pumps costing five to six thousand yuan, around two thousand yuan on water pipes, over a thousand yuan on electricity, and daily labor costs of 200 yuan per person, totaling nearly ten thousand yuan just to combat the drought.
He expressed his dilemma as the loan taken for wheat planting last year with a three-year term is now hard to repay, with over 100 acres of the 200-acre cornfield already dead and the remaining yield unlikely to cover the costs. Previously, one acre could yield over a thousand catties, but now it would be considered good if 600 catties can be preserved. He is facing a tough choice – whether to continue planting without being able to afford the rent or to default on the loan.
Furthermore, Mr. Xing, a farmer from Runan County in Zhumadian City, also told The Paper that it has been over forty days since they last had rain. With over twenty acres of land planted with corn and peanuts, the corn, due for harvest in a month, is not forming cobs as expected. The corn yield is predicted to decrease by 70%, resulting in a loss of around 600 yuan per acre. As the corn had already passed its pollination period before the drought intensified, any rain now would have little effect.
According to the latest data from the Henan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the drought-affected area of crops in Zhumadian has exceeded 1.76 million mu (around 117,000 hectares).
On August 5th, Wei Guoqiang, Chief Agronomist of the Henan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated in an interview with CCTV, a state-run media outlet, that the current drought in Henan province is the most severe since 2000, with Eastern and Southern Henan being the key drought-affected regions. The prolonged drought will have a certain impact on the yields of peanuts and corn.