The central government allocated 400 million yuan (around 58 million U.S. dollars) to help regions affected by natural disasters, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday.

The relief funds will be used to assist farmers in the country's southern regions in restoring agricultural production, help ensure transportation of forage grass in pastoral areas and control outbreaks of citrus greening disease, according to a statement on the ministry's website.

Typhoons and floods hit the country's southern areas in the second half of 2016, severely affecting local agricultural production.

The ministry urged local authorities to appropriate relief funds in a timely manner, and step up regulation to increase the service efficiency of the funds.

The central government altogether earmarked 3.49 billion yuan to support agricultural disaster relief in 2016.

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