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Agriculture: Corn and sunflower crops will drop to half this year due to drought
Corn and sunflower crops will drop to half this year, compared to previous years, because of extended drought , which will continue to produce devastating effects and on future productions in the plant and animal husbandry areas, the farmers' associations say.
“At present, we have 1.2-1.3 million ha affected for corn and sunflower. In Ialomita county, 280,000 ha out of 360,000 ha in Ialomita county, are affected for wheat, barley, corn and sunflower. Of 440,000 ha in Constanta county, over 300,000 ha are affected. We have problems in farming areas with huge potential, where they grew cereals for consumption and seeds for the following year. Chain effects are devastating,” said the president of Pro Agro National Federation, Ionel Arion, in a recent statement.
He says that that this year the corn yield will not exceed 9 million tons and there will be high deficit for sunflower, which will create problems for next year, since processors could not build stocks.
In his opinion, drought will continue to create effects because farmers have no financial resources, cannot plant and could jeopardize Romania's food production.
In these conditions, farmers asked the authorities to declare a calamity state in agriculture, considering that might bring help to farmers in the vegetable and animal husbandry sectors.
According to data of the National Statistics Institute, Romania ranked first last year among EU countries, for the area grown and the yield obtain for corn.
Romania obtained 16.9 million tons of corn last year, on an area of 2.6 million ha, with a profit of 6,500 kg/ha. For sunflower, the yield was 3.45 million tons on an area of 1.3 million ha and an average of 2,660 kg/ha.
Adrian Oros, the minister of agriculture and rural development, announced at a press conference, that the Romanian government and premier Ludovic Orban accepted to allocate 7.25 billion euros for agriculture.
“The Romanian government and the premier accepted that 7.25 billion euros be reserved for agriculture, with two important projects. A projectof6.5 billion euros is about water management infrastructure and a project about the national collection, storing and distribution of Romanian products, a project financed with 750 million euros,”said Adrian Oros in Cluj Napoca.