(SCMP) – Hundreds of chili plants lie wilting in farmer Zhao Yaoren’s field in Xuanhan county in rural Sichuan province.
There has been no rainfall this month and the daily temperature can be as high as 43 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit). The onions are so tiny in the dry soil that they can barely be seen, and the nearby loofah plants are no larger than sausages.
The record-breaking drought and heatwave that have swept across southern China have resulted in a more than 50 per cent reduction in Zhao’s corn yields, he said, while the amount of rice, peanuts, sweet potatoes and green vegetables he has managed to grow are minimal.
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