Chinese local fishery and agricultural departments should get prepared to cope with typhoon "Nuri" and try to ensure fishermen's safety, said the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) on Tuesday.

In an urgent notice, the ministry told local fishery and agricultural departments in eastern localities including Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Anhui, central Jiangxi Province and southern Guangdong Province, to closely monitor Nuri, keep the public informed and help fishing vessels avoid risks.

The eye of Nuri, the twelfth tropical storm of this year, was monitored 620 kilometers southeast offshore from Taiwan's Hengchun city at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Central Meteorological Station.

It was moving towards the country's southeastern coastal areas with a speed of 20 kilometers per hour, said the station.

The MOA called on local government departments to prepare for disaster-relief services, strengthen dykes and mobilize farmers to harvest mature crops against time.

(Xinhua News Agency August 20, 2008)