DROUGHT CUTS CHINESE WHEAT CROP -- USDA REPORT
Drought has resulted in a reduction
in China's estimated wheat crop this year to 87.0 mln tonnes,
2.0 mln below last year's harvest, the U.S. Agriculture
Department's officer in Peking said in a field report.
    The report, dated March 25, said imports in the 1987/88
season are projected at 8.0 mln tonnes, 1.0 mln tonnes above
the the current season's estimate.
    Imports from the United States are estimated at 1.5 mln
tonnes compared to only 150,000 tonnes estimated for the
1986/87 year, it said.
    After travelling to major wheat producing areas and
obtaining more information on the planted area, the total
planted area was estimated down 290,000 hectares due to the dry
fall, it said.
    The report said to compensate for the below normal
precipitation irrigation has increased as has the use of
fertilizer.
    While there are pockets where irrigation is not possible,
most of the wheat crop has access to some water and therefore
has emerged from dormancy and is doing well, the report said.
    It said scattered rain in many parts of China in the past
10 days has improved the situation but information on hail
damage in Anhui is incomplete.
 Reuter
