BEIJING - Rice farmers across China finished transplanting rice into paddies this year without being seriously affected by drought, but agricultural authorities are still warning that water shortages may hinder the growth of plants.

Farmers in China are expected to plant 5.87 million hectares of rice in 2011, about 106,700 hectares more than in the previous year, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Agriculture on Saturday.

The amount they actually plant, though, will largely depend on the harm done by the drought conditions still present in Hubei province, the Poyang Lake areas in Jiangxi province, the Dongting Lake areas in Hunan province and the Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong province. In Hubei alone, the dearth of water has affected about 200,000 hectares of rice paddies, the statement said.