Drought wipes out 5m tonnes of grain

Southwest China's worst drought in 50 years has seen farmers lose a total of five million tonnes of grain, AFP reported, citing state media. The drought hit 2.1 million hectares of farmland in 112 of Sichuan province's 181 counties, costing about 1% of the national grain output for the year. Supplies of drinking water have also been put under threat. To make up for some of the losses, authorities have instructed farmers to plant more late-autumn crops such as sweet potatoes, yams and beans.