Xizang's autumn harvest nearly complete despite rainfall

Despite an unusually wet season and scattered hailstorms in some high-altitude areas, the Xizang autonomous region's autumn harvest is nearly complete, with more than 96 percent of the region's grain already gathered as of Oct 9, according to Xizang Daily.

"In some high-altitude areas, there was more rainfall than usual and isolated hail, affecting the maturation and harvesting of crops like highland barley," Chen Yisheng, an official from the regional department of agriculture and rural affairs, was quoted as saying by Xizang Daily.

The agricultural and rural system in the region made early arrangements, organizing agricultural technicians who guided farmers in the fields to harvest and dry crops quickly. Agricultural machinery was used to improve the efficiency of the autumn harvest and minimize losses caused by adverse weather, Chen said.

This year, the government implemented over 600 million yuan ($84 million) in agricultural subsidies for the farmers, including for farmland fertility protection and agricultural machinery purchases.

"Currently, the harvested highland barley, wheat, and other grains are being dried and stored, and it is expected that this year's total grain output will remain stable at over 1.1 million metric tons," Chen added.