A 40-day drought in southeast China's Fujian Province is threatening more than 200,000 hectares of sweet potato crops and orchards.

More than 30 cities and counties, about half of the province, have registered rainfall of less than one millimeter since Sept. 20.

The province was unlikely to see rain in the near future, according to the provincial observatory.

The continuous drought has seriously affected crops and some orchards, such as banana plantations, and reduced vegetable production, said Chen Jiajin, head of the agro-meteorology and remote-sensing office of the Fujian Provincial Meteorology Research Institute.

The drought had led to an increase in plant diseases and insect pests in some areas, said Chen, without elaborating on the situation.

Experts have warned local people and government departments to be on alert for fires and fire risks.

Source: Xinhua