The funds come from the Ministries of Finance and the Minister of Agriculture, they will benefit 13 provinces and will be used to purchase subsidized seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, as well as restore infrastructure.

This is the second consecutive day that China has drawn funds from its coffers to deal with problems caused by weather events, in addition to deploying specialists and teams in multiple regions to ensure the autumn harvests and prevent further deaths from heat stroke.

On Tuesday, the Government spent 30 million dollars to support the drought mitigation efforts in eight provinces, included Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Jiangxi.

The situation hinders the supply of the precious liquid to millions of people and at the same time it is a blow to agriculture, as these areas are some of the country’s main food producers.

Official figures indicate that the nation is experiencing its hottest summer since 1961, and high temperatures may continue for another two weeks, threatening the agricultural crop yields, livestock breeding and the stability of the electro-energy system.

pgh/iff/oda/ymr