Indre farmers in dry dock

The fuel shortage
continues and intensifies with consequences for many sectors of activity. Running out of fuel is the impossibility of going to work, or quite simply the impossibility of doing it correctly. It’s the case for farmers
of Indre which have been hit by a shortage of GNR (Non-Road Diesel) for several weeks. Deliveries are rare and rationed, like this Wednesday, October 12 in Vendoeuvres.

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Rare and rationed deliveries

On the small road that leads to Arnaud Morin’s farm, Philippe drives his tank truck. Usually, he takes this path once a week, but the two men have not seen each other for three weeks now. Barely arrived, he plugs into the 3,000 liter tank and opens the valves but today it will be only 1,000 litres. Philippe rations because his company is having trouble finding GNR itself. “Whatever our order, we receive 18,000 liters of fuel for farmers per week, whereas normally we deliver 50 to 60,000”, explains Philip.

GNR, a vital need for operations

This delivery is therefore a temporary relief for the farmer. Arnaud Morin raises 126 goats, 140 cows and cultivates some 100 hectares of cereals. Diesel, he consumes around 400 liters per day for his tractors.

“We use them every day to treat the cows because everything is mechanized: the straw spreader, the unroller, the mixer. And then there are the big peaks of work like at the moment with sowing and hay”. With these 1,000 liters freshly delivered, Arnaud Morin will only last two and a half days.

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The shortage causes a delay in sowing

Because of the shortage, he has fallen behind in his sowing and he is starting to get worried. “Some will have finished that we haven’t started. We have to hope that the weather will stay nice for another fortnight to be quiet”, laments Arnaud Morin. Even though the planting season is not over, he is well aware that the more the days pass, the more the conditions will become unfavorable with shortened days and too wet soils.

The delivery will allow him to start, but he will have to wait again to continue. “With the war in Ukraine, we are being asked to produce more cereals, but here we are, in 2022 we have no fuel!”, he gets annoyed.

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Philippe has also fallen behind on his orders and deliveries, whether to farmers or individuals. who are currently filling their tanks with domestic fuel oil. At the key for the company he works for, delay and financial loss : “We lose turnover and above all we lose profitability because you have to make three or four trips to deliver the same quantity”.

The other collateral effect of the shortage is the price per liter of GNR which is soaring. Arnaud Morin paid 1.50 euros against 1 euro just three weeks ago.