<strong>China: Tobacco Subcompany Assists Farmers in Resisting Drought</strong>

Source from:  Qujing Tobacco Monopoly Administration 03/06/2013

Zhanyi County Tobacco Subcompany in Qujing City of southwest China’s tobacco-producing Yunnan Province has been doing all it can to assist local tobacco growers in fighting a lingering severe drought hitting the region and in extending disaster relief, Qujing Daily newspaper reported on February 21.

In 2012, Zhanyi County received a relatively little annual precipitation of only 756 millimeters. Official statistics of precipitation data gathered by the monitoring station of Zhanyi County Weather Bureau indicate that Zhanyi County received virtually no precipitation in 45 consecutive days from November 17 to the end of December 2012. Since January 18, 2013, Zhanyi County has been hit by a lingering hot weather with a sunny sky, without effectual precipitation for more than 30 consecutive days. Presently, the lingering drought hitting the region is turning increasingly severe, giving rise to the formation of a four-year drought.

In face of the severe drought, Zhanyi County Tobacco Subcompany has exerted all efforts to assist local tobacco growers in fighting the severe drought, and has practically well done preparations for resisting the drought, made statistics of water sources, formulated plans for resisting the drought, organized water storage, formulated schemes early enough, done all it can to increase water storage, and well done on a full scale the work of developing tobacco seedlings and transplantation onto fields despite the severe drought. Enditem