Drought takes toll on rice crop

Eastern, central provinces most affected by weekslong heat wave

Agriculture experts worry that a severe drought that began in June may damage the rice harvest in central and eastern China this year, but add that it's too early to know whether the entire country will be affected.

"Rice fields in Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces have been severely affected by heat and drought this summer," said Li Maosong, director of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences' agriculture information office. "Now is the crucial time to grow rice."