(Yicai Global) Sept. 21 -- China's central government has actively run a major deployment to accelerate the development of modern agriculture and strengthen disaster prevention and mitigation to promote ecological conservation.

The central government arranged CNY1.17 billion (USD179.4 million), including CNY206 million this year, in weather modification subsidies for 2012 to 2017, driving local fiscal funds at all levels to about CNY7.64 billion nationwide, per Ministry of Finance (MOFCOM) data, released Sept. 20.

With strong support from the central government, China's weather modification work plays an important role in agricultural production and ecological management by easing water shortages, avoiding disasters and providing security for major events.

Over the past five years, artificial weather has used cloud water to increase precipitation in target areas, with a cumulative increase of 233.5 billion cubic meters and a hail protection area covering 586,000 square kilometers aiding drought relief, disaster prevention, ecological restoration, reservoir construction, forest fire protection and poverty alleviation.

Normalized artificial rain and snow were used often in the Daxinanling forest region and Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve in Qinghai province. Soil moisture content and surface vegetation and runoff were also improved to help restore natural ecosystems.

Weather modification is as important as meteorological security work and facilitated the success of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, the 90th anniversary parade for China's military, and the BRICS Summit in Xiamen.