Over 8 million people are facing a grain shortage due to the ongoing drought in southwest China’s Yunnan province, state media reported, citing a senior provincial official. Ou Zhiming, deputy director of Yunnan’s poverty alleviation office, said the drought has led to crop failures of more than 3 million hectares of land over 125 of the province’s 129 counties. Yunnan’s flood control and drought relief center also said that 9 million people are suffering from a shortage of drinking water. The adverse weather conditions have put pressure on grain prices as crops in the region fail. Fuel prices have also risen as the region’s hydro-power capabilities have been greatly limited, causing a switch to coal-fired power during the drought.
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