Romanian Wheat Production Ravaged By Drought
More than a million hectares of Romanian wheat and rye have already been damaged by drought as the country braces itself for a forecast very dry June.
Daniel Botanoiu, adviser to the State Secretary with the Ministry of Agriculture, Floristries and Rural Development Catalin Rosculete, said that almost a quarter of the nation's planted area of around 7 million hectares was affected.
Of that, more than 600,000 hectares was already 50% destroyed he said, with much of the remaining area 50% damaged, he added.
Agriculture Minister Ilie Sarbu said that the country was on the verge of declaring a "calamity state" as only 500,000 hectares of the country's area under seed had adequate irrigation systems in place, with conditions expected to worsen next month.
"It is a sure thing that June has been forecast as a very dry month," he said.
Romania produced around 6.4 million tonnes of wheat in 2008, and was expecting output of around 5.2 million tonnes this year on a smaller planted area and reduced inputs. What size the crop now? Four million?
Daniel Botanoiu, adviser to the State Secretary with the Ministry of Agriculture, Floristries and Rural Development Catalin Rosculete, said that almost a quarter of the nation's planted area of around 7 million hectares was affected.
Of that, more than 600,000 hectares was already 50% destroyed he said, with much of the remaining area 50% damaged, he added.
Agriculture Minister Ilie Sarbu said that the country was on the verge of declaring a "calamity state" as only 500,000 hectares of the country's area under seed had adequate irrigation systems in place, with conditions expected to worsen next month.
"It is a sure thing that June has been forecast as a very dry month," he said.
Romania produced around 6.4 million tonnes of wheat in 2008, and was expecting output of around 5.2 million tonnes this year on a smaller planted area and reduced inputs. What size the crop now? Four million?