UNUSUALLY DRY WEATHER AFFECTS CHINA'S AGRICULTURE Abnormally warm and dry weather over most parts of China is seriously affecting crops, the New China News Agency said. It said the drought has made rice planting difficult in eight provinces, including Guangxi, Sichuan and Hunan. Plant diseases and insect pests have increased in wheat-producing areas, it said. The agency said some areas of Guangxi, Hubei, Shanxi and other provinces have been suffering a drought for more than seven months. The agency said the dry weather had reduced the amount of water stored by more than 20 pct compared with last March, lowered the water level of many rivers, reduced hydroelectric power supplies and caused water shortages for industry and consumers. The upper reaches of the Yangtze are at their lowest levels in a century, causing many ships to run aground and making harbour manoeuvres difficult, it said. The drought has also increased the number of forest fires. More than 1,000 fires in southern China had destroyed 13,340 hectares of forest by mid-February, it said.