TORRENTIAL rains have hit China’s wheat fields at harvest time, leaving crops waterlogged and moldy in the country’s top producing province.

Henan, China’s largest wheat-growing province, is expected to be hit by more rain in the coming days, State weather forecasters said Thursday, complicating efforts to harvest grain damaged by abnormally heavy precipitation in late May.

Known as the “granary of China,” the south of Henan had been struck by higher-than-normal rainfall in the last week of May days ahead of the harvest of wheat planted in the last winter.

The rains have delayed machine harvesting and caused sprouting, which affects both yields and quality, according to domestic media.

The recent wet weather was the worst to occur during the wheat ripening period in 10 years, the Henan provincial agricultural department told domestic media, affecting all 17 cities in the province, especially the southern cities of Zhumadian and Nanyang.

Medium-to-heavy precipitation can be expected in the south of Henan on Saturday, national weather forecasters reported Thursday.

While it’s too early to assess the damage, the impact could be significant.

China is the world’s largest consumer and producer of wheat and authorities have been stepping up efforts in recent years to ensure enough food to feed its 1.4 billion people, particularly in the face of global turmoil and uncertainties that affect imports, including the Ukraine war.

Henan grows about 27% of China’s wheat, followed by other regions such as Shandong, Anhui, Hebei and Jiangsu. The grain is the dominant staple in the northern part of the country where it’s used mainly to produce noodles and steamed buns.

The agricultural ministry earlier this week urged local authorities to dispatch emergency teams to drain water from fields, speed up access by harvesters and mobilize drying machinery to save as much of the crop as possible.

Henan Daily reported Tuesday Henan that will  make available 200 million yuan (US$28.22 million) in emergency funding to secure the output of wheat.

The emergency funds will be limited to recovering drying wheat and help farmers secure the harvest and their income, the report said.        (SD-Agencies)