Editor: yan

BEIJING, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Agricultural production along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is suffering from lingering heavy drought, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said Tuesday.

By the end of October, provinces of Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Zhejiang have been hit by moderate and severe drought due to less rainfall and scorching weather, with the central areas of Anhui suffering from excessive drought, CMA official Li Mingmei told a news conference.

The adverse weather conditions occurred in late July and spread quickly, Li said, adding that east China's Fujian and southwest China's Yunnan were also affected.

The production and quality of rice, cotton, vegetables and tangerines in the affected areas had been damaged. Tangerine output in Jiangxi, a major producer, is expected to drop by around 10 percent year on year, and the quality of the fruits will also be substantially impaired.

The weather forecast for the next 10 days shows that the droughts will not abate, as precipitation will likely be 20 to 50 percent less in the affected areas, and high temperatures are expected to stay through November.