The continuous cold weather in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has made life difficult for nomadic herders and farmers in the area. Local authorities are taking measures to ensure a steady supply of food.

 

In Xindi County, large fields of maize are covered by snow. The yield is expected to fall dramatically.

Ni Huaqiang, Deputy Head of Xindi county, said, "These fields are going to suffer a lot of losses. I'm talking about a 50 percent decrease."

Very few buyers visit the county because of the snow. Some of the corn inventories are beginning to rot. Local authorities are organizing food processing companies to purchase and dry the corn.

In Altay Prefecture, nomadic herders are running out of forage. Trains are carrying feed corn to the snow affected areas. Local authorities have arranged enough manpower to ensure an express delivery.

Nomadic Herdsman of Altay Prefecture said, "We'd been waiting for the train for days, our reserves were running out."

Apart from that, rural credit cooperatives have been ordered to lend money to the herders to help them endure the winter.

Food prices remain stable at major grocery markets, thanks to a constant supply of vegetables, fruits and meat. The local government is handing out subsidies to affected vendors. This has also helped to stabilize the food market.