China will try to protect this year's harvest from record drought by "cloud seeding," using rain-making reagents.
Factories in Sichuan province were closed last Sunday to save energy for homes, where air conditioning is being used more because of the extreme heat and temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius.
The next 10 days are crucial for rice crops in southern China, said Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian, according to the media.
Chinese authorities will take urgent steps to "secure the autumn harvest" which accounts for 75 percent of the annual yield, Tang said on Friday.
Authorities will "try to increase rain" by influencing clouds and spraying crops with a "water retention agent," the agriculture ministry said.
A reduced harvest yield in China would have global consequences as it would affect import growth, which would further increase inflationary pressure in the United States and Europe.
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