Since last September, a severe drought has been hitting harvests in northern China, the country's main wheat production base. The unprecedented dry spell is posing a threat to food security. CCTV reporter Shen Le visited a prominent expert on agriculture to find out more.
Thirsty for water.
When I traveled to Shandong Province last week, farmers there told me about the severity of the drought.
Farmer Li Qinyun said, “It hasn't rained at all since last September. It’s the worst drought in perhaps a hundred years. Everything has dried up.”
Although local governments have taken all measures necessary to combat the drought, crop losses seem certain. As a result, domestic food prices went up by more than 10 percent in January.
And this, experts say, is where the central government should step in.
Prof. Wen Tiejun, Dean of School of Agric. Economics, Renmin Uni., said, "The central government is responsible for ensuring the nation's food security. This is because growing food staples like wheat and rice doesn't generate as much GDP as growing high-value added plants such as tea or silk on the same piece of land. So if the responsibility falls on local governments, they won't have enough incentive to make sure the farmland is used to produce food. "
Professor Wen says he believes the measures already taken by the central government have helped stabilize food prices at home.
He said, "Apart from providing agricultural subsidies, the central government is also mobilizing reserves to increase the supply of food. I think it's fairly safe to say these measures have worked, because food prices at home is still much lower than food prices overseas. However, the effectiveness of the measures also depend on the execution at local levels."
Shen said, “The drought is persisting. Even if it doesn’t turn cataclysmic in the near future, keeping food prices stable remains a arduous test for local authorities.”
vivi笔记：
severe drought：严重干旱
dry spell：干旱期，枯竭期
step in：走进，介入，干预
food staples：主食
high-value added：高附加值的
arduous test：严峻的考验
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