Requests to assist Romanian farmers
Bucharest requests assistance from the European Commission to help the farmers affected by the extreme drought
Leyla Cheamil, 26.07.2022, 14:00
Crops across Romania have been affected by this years unprecedented drought, and farmers are beginning to measure their losses, fearing that they will not break even this season.
The biggest problems are reported in the south and east of the country, where water reserves are dwindling. The farmers in some areas have already asked the local authorities to take the necessary measures to declare a state of disaster in agriculture.
In order to support the farmers affected by the drought, Bucharest has asked the European Commission to approve an advance payment accounting for 70 to 85% of the direct payments under the environment and climate measures in the 2014-2022 National Rural Development Programme.
The government intends to give EUR 51.6 million in aid to fruit and wine growers and to pig and poultry breeders. Of this amount, EUR 25.5 million will come from EU funds, and the balance from the national budget, the agriculture ministry explained. Moreover, investments in local irrigation systems are planned, amounting to EUR 100 million, under the 2023-2027 National Strategic Plan.
According to the data centralised by the institution, the drought has so far destroyed the crops on nearly 107,000 ha in 20 Romanian counties. Because of the drought, the Danube river flow Monday morning reached a minimum of 1,950 cubic metres per second, as against the 2,500 cubic metre per second on average at this time of the year. Hydrologists warn that the river flow would continue to drop this entire week, to as little as 1,850 cubic metres per second.
For this reason, Dolj County in southern Romania for instance is facing an unprecedented situation in the last 70 years: crops can no longer be irrigated using the Danubes water, after the river level dropped 7 cm in one day.
The head of the Romanian Farmers Association, Daniel Botănoiu, warns that the extreme drought affects this years crops, but will also have an impact on the next agricultural year, because works cannot be conducted in time and at the required quality standards. He believes that on the one hand the irrigation system must be adapted to the new technologies so as to ensure maximum efficiency, and on the other hand drought-tolerant plant species should be used.
While farmers are struggling with the drought, the news from weather experts is hardly encouraging. This drought is only the beginning, difficult times are ahead, says the president of the Romanian Meteorological Society Ion Sandu, who urges the authorities to take measures for the forthcoming period. (AMP)
