Severe drought in Europe

Europe is facing extreme heat and drought

Roxana Vasile, 09.08.2022, 14:00

France is on high alert. Italy reports
billions of euros in agricultural damage. The Netherlands, Germany, Poland,
Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia face the difficulty of providing animal feed. In
Spain, the volumes of water stored in reservoirs are currently over a third
lower than the ten-year average.

As for Portugal, water in reservoirs for
hydroelectric plants is at half the seven-year average. Let’s not forget the
fires affecting countries in southern Europe! And all these have a common cause
– excessive heat and severe drought.

Romania is no exception. Almost 243,000
hectares in 30 counties, i.e. three quarters of the country, are affected by
drought. The most recent data centralized by the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development show that the affected area is increasing compared to the end
of last week, when 28 counties announced that approximately 230,000 hectares
were affected by the lack of water.

The crops of wheat and triticale, a hybrid
of wheat and rye, suffered the most: the affected area rose to 133,000
hectares. Next are the areas cultivated with barley, sorghum, oats and rye -
20,000 hectares, rapeseed – 24,000 hectares and corn – 40,000. Farmers are
desperate and say that losses will be huge. The Minister of Agriculture, Petre
Daea, has promised them a guide of good practices, developed together with the
Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the most valuable specialists in Romania,
because, in his opinion, drought can be combated not only through irrigation,
but also by using applied technologies and choosing the right varieties.

Regarding irrigation, by 2027, Romania is
supposed to have 2.6 million hectares of irrigable surface, for which 1.5
billion euros have been provided from the national budget, minister Petre Daea
has also stated. In a post on social media, he says that the implementation of
the irrigation system rehabilitation program recently approved by the
Government must be done day by day, without interruption.

The official also called for
responsibility: the destruction over the years cannot be overlooked. Forest
vegetation that has occupied the entire section of irrigation canals, damaged
canals or pressure stations in ruins are evidence of recklessness and lack of
action. The rehabilitation works have started, but it is important to take care
and preserve what we have, not destroy it, the Minister of Agriculture has
stressed.

In Romania, however, there are also numerous
counterexamples, that is, well-managed works in the field that are reflected in
the products obtained, the quality of which is in no way inferior to that of
any other holding in the flagship countries of European agriculture.

Mention should be made of the fact that
wheat harvesting has been completed in Romania, the entire production is
stored, and the quantity obtained will ensure the country’s consumption needs,
with availability for export. (MI)