After a particularly dry winter, a spring heat wave. According to Météo France, temperatures will flirt in places with 30°C in France this afternoon, with in particular 29°C in Bordeaux, 28°C in Lyon and Tours, 27°C in Paris and Limoges and 25°C in Rennes and Strasbourg. A bright sun that worries French farmers, whose crops are exposed to a drought that persists in certain regions. Follow our live.
The drought will affect cereal production. Wheat, in full growth, lack of water and the heat promises to last: the drought which hits the whole of France will have “an impact on cereal production”warned the Ministry of Agriculture on Monday. “Winter crops, such as wheat or barley, which are now in the development phase, are beginning to experience situations that will affect yields.” The lack of rain, if it continues, will also affect spring crops, such as sunflowers, beets and corn, according to the ministry, which also mentions the delicate situation of fodder.
A worrying water deficit. Between September and April 2022, the rainfall deficit is estimated at 19%, and the groundwater recharge deficit is 20%, mainly in the Grand-Est, in the north of New Aquitaine and the whole of Sud- East, reported the Ministry of Ecological Transition. Thus, the window opened in April to help farmers cope with climate change and initially endowed with 20 million euros will be supplemented “an additional 20 million”, the ministries announced after Monday’s meeting.
Fifteen departments on alert. Currently, 15 departments are already subject to restrictions ranging from encouraging water savings to prohibiting the watering of gardens or fields at certain times, up to a 50% reduction in water withdrawals. of water for agricultural purposes or a total ban on water withdrawals for washing cars or watering green spaces. In France, 5% of agricultural land is irrigated, ie nearly 1.4 million hectares. The rate rises to 14% in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.