STORY: Central China ramps up efforts to reduce grain losses
DATELINE: June 10, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:50
LOCATION: ZHENGZHOU, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of summer harvest in central China's Henan Province
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): WU DONGXING, Party chief of Yuanying Village
3. various of summer harvest in central China's Anhui Province

STORYLINE:

China has stepped up efforts to minimize grain losses during this year's summer harvest in response to weather challenges such as waterlogging and heat waves.

Central China's Henan Province is dubbed the "granary of China," accounting for more than a quarter of the country's wheat output.

It is facing a daunting challenge as heavy rains have turned fields soggy.

Farmers are racing against the clock to harvest wheat before it is ruined.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): WU DONGXING, Party chief of Yuanying Village
"We started the harvest on Tuesday. So far (on June 7 evening), we have harvested more than 600 mu (about 40 hectares) of wheat field. About 300 mu are left. We plan to finish the work by tonight."

As of Friday morning, Henan has harvested approximately 79.5 million mu (about 5.3 million hectares) of wheat, accounting for over 93 percent of the total planting area in the province.

Anhui Province, which neighbors Henan, is home to about 2.87 million hectares of wheat fields.

It has also strengthened efforts to improve its wheat harvesting operations with attention also focused on minimizing losses during transportation and storage.

Last year, it achieved a wheat harvest loss rate of less than 2 percent.

The National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration said that the country has been making efforts to upgrade and reconstruct its grain reserve facilities. More eco-friendly cold storage facilities for grain are expected to be built in the future.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Zhengzhou, China.
(XHTV)