Heilongjiang Province, one of China's main grain producers, has been ravaged by the worst drought in four decades, said a local agricultural official.

Hou Baijun, an official with Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Water Resources, said the affected acreage of arable land exceeded 5 million hectares, accounting for 55 percent of the province's total.

The severe drought has been caused by scarce rainfall, higher temperatures, strong winds in spring this year, and a worsening ecological environment.

Rainfall in the province from March to May, for instance, was about 30 mm, 50 percent less than that for the same period in past years, said the official.

Hou said the drought's impact on agricultural production would be grave though there had been some alleviation in recent days.

(Xinhua News Agency July 7, 2003)