By mid-August, torrential rains had killed at least 250 people across China. Storms caused the deaths of at least 108 people in Hunan province and economic losses of some Yn190m, Reuters reported. Bodies were also discovered from Yunnan in the southwest to Zhejiang in the east. Several workers were killed after a landslide buried work huts at the construction site of a hydropower station on the Lancang River in Yunnan province.
More corn and soy, less wheat China will produce more corn and soybeans this year, while the wheat harvest will be smaller than last year, according to forecasts by the National Grain and Oils Information Centre. The total wheat harvest, including both winter and spring wheat, would be only 87.8m tonnes, down from last year's 93.9m tonnes, due to a smaller acreage and unfavourable weather. However, thanks to better weather and increases in acreage, China expects to harvest 125.5m tonnes of corn in 2002 and 17m tonnes of soybeans, both around 10 per cent more than last year.