This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。
America is the world's largest food exporter. But the worst drought in half a century is hitting corn and wheat harvests. The drought across the central United States adds to concerns about world food supplies and prices in the coming years.
美国是全球最大的粮食出口国。但半个世纪以来最严重的干旱正在重创玉米和小麦产量。这次横跨美国中部的干旱增加了人们对未来几年世界粮食供应和价格的关注。
Experts say by twenty-fifty, the world will have to produce at least sixty percent more food to feed a population growing bigger and richer. China, a major food importer, is looking to producers around the world to guarantee future food supplies.
专家表示，到2050年，全球将必须多生产60%以上的粮食来养活持续增长和富有的人口。作为主要粮食进口国的中国正在全球范围内寻找生产商以保证未来的粮食供应。
China has invested in food production in Australia and New Zealand. A new source of supply is Ukraine. Ukraine was known as the breadbasket of Europe because of rich corn and wheat harvests a century ago.
中国已经在澳大利亚和新西兰投资于粮食生产。乌克兰是一个新的供应来源。由于一个世纪前的玉米和小麦大丰收，乌克兰被称为欧洲粮仓。
Galyna Kovtok is chief executive of Ukraine's largest agricultural business, ULF. She predicts that within a few months her company will be approved to export corn to China. That will make Ukraine the first country outside the Americas to do so.
Galyna Kovtok是乌克兰最大的农业企业，乌克兰农牧集团（ULF）的首席执行官。她预测在短短几个月内，乌克兰农牧集团将被批准向中国出口玉米。这将使得乌克兰成为美洲以外第一个向中国出口玉米的国家。
ULF will soon have almost two million tons of elevator storage capacity as it prepares for the Chinese market. Chinese money is financing the building of six grain elevators. But the company's equipment is largely American, including half-million-dollar John Deere combines to harvest wheat.
由于筹备中国市场，乌克兰农牧集团即将拥有近两百万吨的谷仓储存容量。中国资金为6个谷仓的建设提供了融资。但该公司的设备主要是美国生产的，包括价值50万美元的约翰迪尔小麦联合收割机。
ULF's grain production per hectare is now halfway between Ukrainian averages and the high yields of the American Midwest. But farming depends on the weather. Across the Black Sea region -- in Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan -- drought this year is pushing harvests down by fifteen to twenty percent.
乌克兰农牧集团每公顷粮食产量目前处于乌克兰平均值和美国中西部高产量两者之间。但农业取决于天气。今年横跨黑海地区乌克兰、俄罗斯和哈萨克斯坦的干旱导致产量下降了15%到20%。
Traditionally, the Black Sea region is the main source of wheat for North Africa and the Middle East. But this year, on the supply side, Russia may have to suspend exports. And, on the demand side, Africa and the Middle East are now competing with China.
传统上，黑海地区是北非和中东地区小麦的主要来源。但今年在供应方面，俄罗斯可能不得不暂停出口。而在需求方面，非洲和中东正面临同中国竞争。
At the same time, a new report says large parts of Asia may face long periods of severe drought within ten years. The report is from the British-based Center for Low Carbon Futures, a network of universities. It says northern China, India, Afghanistan, Mongolia and Pakistan will be especially hard hit. It says other parts of Asia are likely to face longer and wetter monsoon seasons because of climate change.
与此同时，一份新的报告称，未来十年，亚洲大部分地区可能面临长时间的严重干旱。这份报告来自总部位于英国的大学网络--低碳远景中心。报告称，中国北部、印度、阿富汗、蒙古和巴基斯坦将遭受特别沉重的打击。由于气候变化，亚洲其它地区可能面临时间更长，更多雨的季风季节。
Andrew McConville works for the agricultural technology company Syngenta. He says a lack of new investment in technology to help farmers improve productivity has had an effect.
安德鲁·麦康威尔（Andrew McConville）就职于农业科技公司先正达（Syngenta）。他表示，在帮助农民提高生产力的科技上的投资缺乏已经效果显现。
ANDREW McCONVILLE: "You really start to see, if you like, all of those things come together, laid over the top of very high prices as well, so you almost had a perfect storm of factors coming together."
麦康威尔：“你真的可以开始看到，所有因素累积起来，奠定了非常高的价格顶部。暴风雨即将来临。”
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