Jinan: Shandong province is growing in both total planting area and output of summer grain this year thanks to easy access to agricultural technologies and help from better insurance for when farmers face natural disasters, according to the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs.
The province, one of the major production bases of summer grain in China, witnessed the output of wheat, a staple crop, reach 26.41 million metric tons, up 0.2 percent year-on-year, it said.
The total planting area of summer grain in the province reached 4 million hectares, 9,200 hectares more than last year. “We conquered bad influences caused by late planting, plant diseases and pests that appeared earlier than previous years, and droughts in the late growth phase of wheat,” Chi Fang, director of the planting management office of the department, said on Tuesday. Due to serious floods last autumn, nearly 70 percent of wheat in Shandong was planted late.
“Usually winter wheat is planted in October in Shandong, but floods delayed the planting, with some areas being put off to early December, affecting the crop’s growth,” said Chi.
But the relatively high temperature in winter was good for wheat to grow. In addition, national and local governments conducted timely and effective measures at the crucial growing stages of wheat, he said.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
