Drought puts crops under threat

Citing a report from the State Flood-Control and Drought Relief Headquarters in Beijing, state media said a drought that started last fall was threatening 12m hectares of arable land, millions of livestock and up to 9.38m people working on the land. Reports said water shortages threatened farmers currently transplanting rice seedlings in the south, while in the north, China's new wheat crop had entered "a critical stage".