Tongxin Xu, a vegetable planter from Dezhou, says that the current volume of vegetables picked on his farm on a daily basis is 30-40 jin (15 to 20 kg), however, the volume was 150 jin (75 kg) at same period in previous years.
Not only has the production of vegetables been reduced, a number of diseases have also been found. Xuejun Wang, another vegetable planter from Dezhou, mentioned: "production volume in each greenhouse has decreased by 20% to 30%. Continuous rain and hazy weather led to a lack of illumination, low temperature, stronger relative humidity, less effective photosynthesis and weaker resistance to diseases which are not favorable to the growth of vegetables."