Southern Chinese crops devastated by snow

Farmers in southern China are fighting the worst snowfall in five decades, and working hard with local agronomists to keep crop losses to a minimum.

China View said the "disaster" has "decimated southern China since mid-January by freezing crops. A new cold snap will affect the country's central and eastern regions in 10 days with more rain and snow."

This would exacerbate the already severe situation, according to forecasts by the Central Meteorological Station. "The blizzard disaster in the south would have a severe impact on winter crops, and the impact on fresh vegetables could be catastrophic in certain areas," Chen Xiwen, director of the office of the central leading group on rural work, told the website.

Brassicas and other vegetables, and oranges have felt the full force of the snow, as 9.4 million hectares of farmland, mainly located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, was hit by the snow. As many as 1m hectares had lost all of their output to the bad weather, according to a report on the Chinese ministry of agriculture's website.