China's devastating earthquake killed 12.5 million farm animals _ mostly chickens _ and wrecked vegetable crops and irrigation systems needed to grow rice, the government says. More than 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of vegetables and more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of wheat were destroyed by the May 12 quake in Sichuan province, according to the Agriculture Ministry. Damage to irrigation systems could prevent farmers from growing rice on as much as 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of rice paddies, the ministry said. But it said that land might be used for alternative crops while the damage is repaired. Most of the farm animals killed were poultry, said Wei Chao'an, a deputy agriculture minister, in comments reported by the official Xinhua News Agency. He said the losses should not affect food supplies, because they account for a small share of the 1.5 billion birds that Sichuan province was expected to produce this year. Sichuan usually supplies about 6 percent of China's grain and 5 percent of its vegetables, according to Wei.
