Drought worsens in China's rubber-growing Yunnan

BEIJING (Reuters) - The most severe drought in China's southwestern Yunnan province in six decades has hit sugarcane, rubber and coffee crops and blocked transport on a major river bordering Laos and Myanmar, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The drought has affected a total of 2.55 million hectares of crops, including wheat and vegetables, accounting for 85 percent of the province's total growing area, Xinhua cited the local agricultural bureau as saying.

Yunnan is China's second-largest grower of sugarcane and rubber, but the mountainous province is not a major grain area. Farmers have almost completed harvesting sugarcane and will start tapping rubber trees in April. Lower Chinese output could prompt the country, a major rubber consumer, to import more.

The drought started late last year and has also affected the top sugar producing region of Guangxi.

That could cut China's production to only 11 million tonnes in the 12 months to September, 12 percent lower than the previous year, and not enough to meet the country's demand, according to the China Sugar Association.

Almost 6 million people and 3.6 million head of livestock are facing drinking water shortages in Yunnan. If the drought continues, the number of people without sufficient drinking water would rise to 7.92 million in March, it cited Qin Guangrong, the governor of Yunnan, as saying.

Drought was also reported in the neighbouring province of Guizhou and could threaten reservoirs and hydro-power generated electricity supplies.

Xinhua said 21 Chinese boats have been grounded and crews rescued on the Lancang-Mekong River, which was at its lowest level in 50 years. Local authorities stopped issuing permits to vessels to cross the border because the river was flowing at only half the normal level.

(Reporting by Niu Shuping and Tom Miles; Editing by Ken Wills)