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Agricultural: Farmers’ association warns of crop losses due to drought

Agricultural: Farmers’ association warns of crop losses due to drought

Farmers complain that it’s too dry. Without rain there is a risk of harvest losses of up to 40 percent and then there are also the increases in fertilizer and energy costs.

The German Farmers’ Association warns of crop failures and higher prices in view of the persistent drought. “We are currently fighting on many fronts. Fertilizer prices are four times higher than a year ago. Energy costs are twice as high. Feed costs have increased,” said the association’s president, Joachim Rukwied, to the German press agency. “If it doesn’t rain consistently in the near future, then there is a risk of a drop in yield of 30 to 40 percent.”

The grain harvest for this year is on the home straight, but the harvest of the autumn crops, potatoes or sugar beet, for example, is still pending. “I don’t want to rule out that crops that are harvested in autumn in particular will experience price increases,” said Rukwied. “All in all, the weather situation is of course a burden on our operations.”

The turf is brown in some regions. “Nothing grows back there.” Some farms would therefore already have to feed in winter fodder supplies because they could no longer cut green fodder. According to Rukwied, agriculture is preparing for drier and hotter summers with water- and soil-saving processes. “But ultimately it is to be feared that due to climate change, we will no longer be able to achieve the level of earnings of the 1990s, for example.”

Source: Stern

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