1 DECEMBER 1997. CHINA: DROUGHT & CROPS

Reuters reported that 6.67 million of 10.2 hectares of winter wheat fields have been damaged by drought in northern China, making this the most serious drought since 1972, the year of another strong ENSO event. The drought is expected to continue to spring. Fall wheat in Shandong Province is 14.96 million tons, down 7.82 tons from the previous year.