Drought may cost Romanian farmers some EUR 2 bln

The financial damage caused by the drought could exceed EUR 2 billion nationally, given the massive production losses, the additional costs for irrigation, and the lack of capitalization of the production at a fair price, according to the data provided by the Romanian Farmers' Club (CFRO) to Economedia.ro.

CFRO warns that food prices may rise in this context.

The minister of agriculture, Florin Barbu, announced last month that compensation for the losses caused by the drought will be paid to farmers in October so that they have resources for the autumn campaign. According to estimates at that time, crops were affected by the drought on an area of ​​approximately two million hectares, and the minimum amount of compensation per hectare will be EUR 200.

Current assessments by CFRO indicate production losses reaching around 50-70% of the annual average and an area of ​​more than 2.5 million hectares of agricultural land affected by drought.

CFRO estimates for some regions yields as low as 100-200 kg/ha for sunflower and 400-500kg/ha for corn, which are yields ​​that cannot cover the costs.

The drought has generated major disruptions to corn and sunflower production overall, CFRO data show.

"We must also mention the much-reduced values ​​of the harvested quantities of rapeseed, wheat, and barley, fundamental crops for Romania's agricultural economy. The most affected areas are predominantly located in the south and east of the country, with counties such as Vaslui, Vrancea, Galați, Constanța, Călărași, Botoșani or Dolj, areas vulnerable to the lack of precipitation, excessive temperatures and lack of access to the national irrigation system," said Bogdan Chiripuci, manager of policies and programs for agriculture Romanian Farmers' Club.

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