Increased efforts urged in cold snap

People wait for a bus under a snow-covered tree yesterday in Yantai City of east China's Shandong Province. The biggest snowfall this winter hit the city yesterday. A snowstorm also hit eastern China's Anhui and central China's Hubei provinces yesterday, and the snow is forecast to continue in the two provinces today.

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AS heavy snow and cold weather hit China's agricultural production and caused economic losses in some regions, the country's local governments were asked for increased efforts to cope with the severe conditions.

The China Meteorological Administration said most regions would experience colder weather in the next 10 days, with the average temperature 1-3 degrees Celsius lower than in the same period in previous years.

By yesterday, heavy snow damaged 570,000 mu (38,000 hectares) of greenhouse vegetables and 2.75 million mu of vegetables in five provinces since the end of October.

Farming losses in the regions totaled 2.6 billion yuan (US$380.7 million) in the period.

The Ministry of Agriculture suggested local governments enhance field management. The ministry will send experts to worst-hit areas.

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