Drought in Tea Regions

CHINA

Temperatures exceeding 38oC (100oF) in Hubei, Yunnan, Jiangxi, Hunan, northeastern Guizhou, eastern Sichuan, and Chongqing exacerbated the effects of sparse rainfall since spring leading the government of China to declare a level 4 emergency in August.

In the important tea growing region bounded by Yunnan Province, the Department of Agriculture said the lack of rainfall has affected about 1.04 million hectares (2.57 million acres) of crops. Fire rescue teams in the province have dispatched 176 fire trucks to bring water to farmland and to assist about 30,000 residents.

The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) jointly declared Hubei Province at a level 4. The declaration covers 793,333 hectares (ha) under food crops and tea.

Drinking water is inaccessible to 15,700 residents who are struggling to provide for 3,000 domestic animals. Rainfall since June is 55% below normal at 37 millimeters. Hubei is an extremely mountainous region that borders Anhui to the east. The climate is subtropical with summer highs of 24-30oC and rainfall averaging 800-1,600 millimeters. Temperatures this year have held steady at 37-39 oC. Specialty teas include Yihong Gongfu, Dengcun green tea, and Wufeng Mao Jian tea. The region also produces Keemun, a style of black tea.

Xinhua Net reported that in Yunnan “about 358,067 hectares of crops seriously damaged, and the severe drought has killed more than 16,667 ha of crops.” Provincial meteorologists explain that the province has seen less precipitation and higher temperature since spring due to global warming and El Nino.