Friday, September 08, 2000, updated at 09:44(GMT+8)
China
Animal Husbandry in Inner Mongolia Damaged by Natural Disasters
Livestock farming in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, in north China, has recorded severe losses due to rare natural disasters.
Continuous incidents of snowstorm, drought, sandstorm, pests, and insects damaged some 46 million hectares of grassland, which amounts to 65 percent of the region's total usable pasture land. During this time, 40 million livestock, 65 percent of the region's total livestock, were affected.
Local government has decided to adopt a new farming method that reproduces livestock in the northern part of the region while fostering them in the southern part, in order to make the best use of natural resources in the different areas, according to Hao Yidong, vice chairman of the autonomous region.
Other emergency measures to provide aid to the people in the region include preparing foodstuff and fodder for winter, advocating new techniques on farming and agriculture and providing unimpeded transportation services to the sales and exportation of farming products.