VOA双语新闻：印度降雨不足可能影响农业生产

　　In India, stalled monsoon 1 rains are expected to revive soon. But there are concerns the shortfall in monsoon rains so far could adversely 2 impact crop production.

在印度，季风雨的降雨量严重不足可能给粮食生产带来不利影响。

The Indian Meteorological Department says monsoon rains could hit several states along the western and eastern coast over the next two to three days.

印度气象部门表示，在接下来的2、3天，东西海岸的几个邦将会迎来季风雨。

The monsoon rains arrived at the end of May as scheduled, but then slowed down. The weather department says rainfall in the first three weeks of June was 45 percent below normal.

季风雨虽然在5月底如期而至，但随后却速度减缓。气象部门说，6月前3星期的降雨量比正常水平低45%。

The dry spell in June has worried millions of farmers in the country waiting to sow crops such as rice, and raised fears that food production, which is critically dependent on copious 3 monsoon rains, could suffer this year.

6月的干旱使农村数以百万等待播种稻米等农作物的农民感到不安。同时，人们还担心依赖丰沛降雨的粮食生产在今年也会受到影响。

Agriculture expert, Devender Sharma, says concerns about the deficient 4 rains are running high in those parts of the country that have no access to modern irrigation systems.

农业专家德文特.沙尔马(Deventer Sharma)表示，在那些没有现代灌溉系统的地方，降雨不足使人们倍感忧虑。

"The most important areas which will face the crisis would be of course the dryland regions of India, which produces about 45 percent of total food requirement of the country," said Sharma. "Most of these are of course the crops which anything can go wrong, a few weeks or four weeks of delay of rainfall would mean a complete debacle."

他说：“面临危机，最重要的地方当然是印度的旱地。这些地区的粮食生产占全国总产量的45%。其中大部分地区要是出了问题，也就是说降雨延迟几周或是一个月，那将意味着一场灭顶之灾。”

Sharma says the next two weeks could be critical in determining whether the production of such crops as rice, oilseeds, cotton and corn will be impacted adversely.

沙尔马指出，对于水稻、油菜籽、棉花和玉米等农作物来说，生产会不会受到不利影响，接下来的两周将是关键时刻。

The federal government says it is preparing to provide drought resistant 5 varieties of seeds to regions that are dependent on the monsoons 6. And it has convened 7 a meeting later in the week of farm officials from states that could be hit hard such as Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

联邦政府表示正在准备给那些依赖雨水的地方提供各种耐旱种子。本周晚些时候，联邦政府还将召集受灾可能会比较严重的各邦农业官员开会。这些邦包括北方邦、奥里萨邦、马哈拉施特拉邦、安得拉邦等。

The government monitors food grain production carefully to ensure that there is enough to meet the requirements of its one billion people. India is the world's second highest producer of rice and wheat.

印度政府一直在密切关注粮食生产，以确保印度10亿人口有足够的食物。印度是世界第二大稻米和麦子的生产国。

Agriculture plays a crucial part in the Indian economy sustaining the livelihoods 8 of nearly two-thirds of the country, or 600 million people. Although the farm sector 9 contributes only 20 percent to the country's gross domestic product, good rains ensure higher incomes in the vast rural areas, and fuel demand for domestic products ranging from mobile phones to tractors.

农业在印度经济中扮演着一个重要的角色。印度三分之二的人口、也就是近6亿人，以务农为生。尽管农业只占国民生产总值的20%，但丰沛的降雨能确保广大偏远地区有较高的收入，拉动从手机到拖拉机等国内产品的需求。

The monsoons may also be crucial in ensuring the Indian economy, which is showing signs of emerging from the global recession, stays on the path of revival 10.

季风雨或许还对确保印度经济至关重要。印度正在努力走出全球经济衰退，踏上一条复苏之路。