Agricultural machinery helps recovery of Henan's flooded fields

Agricultural machinery, including water pumps, have been dispatched to Central China's Henan province to support agricultural production recovery after heavy rains engulfed farmland and facilities in the past week.

A total of 200 diesel-powered water pumps, among 2,000 donated by agricultural associations in the country, have already been deployed to disaster areas in Henan, the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs said on Wednesday.

The ministry urged local departments to collect information on agricultural equipment needed to drain stagnant floodwaters in fields, and deploy it to hard-hit areas, such as Kaifeng, Hebi, and Xinxiang.

It has mobilized relevant enterprises to organize emergent production for water-draining equipment and prioritize the supply for disaster areas.

Plowing and replanting should be carried out at the proper time, the ministry said.

Zhou Xuewen, secretary-general of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, said on Wednesday the torrential rainfall has affected 1.02 million hectares of crops, and 179,800 hectares were totally wiped out.