猛暑の中国、卵の生産量落ち込み価格高騰

【北京ＡＦＰ＝時事】中国東部で、猛暑のため卵の生産量が減り価格が高騰している。現地メディアが伝えた。（めんどり。資料写真）
　中国では今年、各地の主要都市で観測史上最高気温が記録された。安徽省の省都合肥でも、今夏気温が３８度を上回った日が１４日あり、記録を更新したと報じられている。
　現地紙は先週、合肥市内の農家の話として、暑さのため卵の生産量が減っており、冷房を設置した鶏舎もあると伝えていた。
　卵の供給量は複数の省で落ち込んだことから、価格が高騰。現地メディアによると、合肥をはじめ、浙江省杭州などで３０％前後値上がりしているという。
　米農務省も、動物が異常な暑さにさらされると、卵や牛乳などの生産量が減少することがあると指摘している。
　熱波は電力需給の逼迫（ひっぱく）も引き起こし、四川省では計画停電が行われた。また、中国西部からの電力に頼っている東部の複数の省では、家庭用電力を確保するため工業用電力の供給制限が発表されたと地元メディアが報じている。
　さらに国営新華社通信によれば、東部の江西省では深刻な干ばつで１万１０００人の飲み水の確保が難しくなっている他、１４万ヘクタール分の農作物が被害を受けた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/08/18-13:51）

Scorching temperatures in eastern China have pushed up egg prices because hens are laying fewer in a hotter-than-usual summer, local media reported.
Extreme weather has become more frequent owing to climate change, scientists say, and this will likely grow more intense as temperatures rise, impacting economies and societies around the world.
Multiple major cities in China have recorded their hottest days ever this year, and the country's national observatory issued a red alert on Monday.
And the heat wave is putting not only humans, but animals under stress too.
In Hefei city, farmers reported a drop in egg production because of the heat, according to a Jianghuai Morning News report last week, adding that some facilities have installed cooling systems for their hens.
The drop in supply in several provinces has caused egg prices to jump.
In Hefei, Anhui province's capital, they were up around 30 percent, and there were similar spikes in the cities of Hangzhou and Hai'an, according to local media.
Hefei has so far logged 14 days of temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius, Hefei Evening News said, noting that this was a record.
Sustained exposure to extreme temperatures can exacerbate losses in production from animals, including eggs and milk, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
While the number of hens laying in China has not decreased, they have been eating less on hot days, Qianjiang Evening News added.
In addition to impacting poultry farms, the heat wave has also forced electricity rationing in lithium hub Sichuan in the face of soaring demand for power.
Provinces including Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui that rely on power from western China have also issued electricity curbs for industrial users to ensure homes had enough power, local media reported.
And in eastern China's Jiangxi province, which is in the grip of a severe drought, 11,000 people had difficulty accessing drinking water while more than 140,000 hectares of crops were damaged, according to the official Xinhua news agency on Tuesday.