As many as 84 cities around the country on Wednesday issued their highest-level red alert warnings – meaning temperatures are expected to reach above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in the next 24 hours – according to National Bureau of Meteorology. For the first time this year, Shanghai reported a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
Of China The heatwave has pushed electricity demand to extremes in many areas as people turn on their air conditioners.
Third, Zhejiang Province – a major manufacturing and exporting power on the east coast – has appealed to its 65 million inhabitants and businesses to save energy.
“To ensure electricity supply for residents and companies … we call on society as a whole to take action to save electricity,” the province’s energy office and the State Grid said in a joint statement.
According to analysts of several Chinese brokerages, the Zhejiang energy office has also allocated power supplies to a number of energy-intensive companies, such as polyester manufacturers and textile and fabric printing companies in the cities of Hangzhou, Shaoxing and Haining.
Worry about inflation
High temperatures also affect China’s crop production, potentially driving up food inflation.
The Central Meteorological Observatory warned that high temperatures could negatively impact maize, soybean, wheat and grassland production in many northern provinces such as Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Hebei.
Earlier this month, several major feed producers, including New Hope Group, warned customers that they would raise the price of feed for pigs, poultry and fish because of the prices of soybean meal, corn and rice. noodles rose. Most of the rallies took place last week.
Pork, the staple meat in China, has been particularly hard hit, as soybeans and corn are the main ingredients used in the pig industry.
As of the week ending July 1, hog prices have increased by 46% since March, according to the most recent data from the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s top economic planner.
– CNN’s Jessie Yeung and Shawn Deng contributed to the reporting.
