Farmers Expect 10 Per Cent Crop Failure Due to Drought

Due to the lack of precipitation since the start of the year and the depleted soil moisture, the autumn crops are developing earlier than usual. The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry revised its positive forecasts of crops with regard to soil moisture from 60-70 per cent to 45 per cent of the crops, Deputy Agriculture and Forestry Minister Svetla Buchvarova said, addressing the parliamentary Agriculture and Forestry Committee. She was quoting data as at May 8 about the state of the autumn crops and work for the spring ones. Weather forecasts of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences say that precipitation in May will be scarce and less than half the normal volume.

Buchvarova said that as things stand at the moment, yields will be over 10 per cent less. Most of the MPs on the Committee disagreed with this, stating that the percentage will be over 50 per cent.

The drought situation is similar to 1974, Buchvarova said. She described as fairly good the condition of the crops in the region of Dobrich and Silistra, Northeastern Bulgaria, Pleven, North Central Bulgaria, Vidin, and Vratsa, Northwestern Bulgaria, due to the bigger precipitation.

The crops in Veliko Turnovo, Rousse and Razgrad, Northern Bulgaria, are in critical condition, where precipitation was only 5 per cent of the usual and necessary volume. The dry spring is likely to affect the spring crops: maize and sunflower, Buchvarova said.

Commenting the difficult situation, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Nihat Kabil said that at the European Council in July in Brussels Bulgaria will request additional resources to cope with the drought, as is the practice used by other countries. Kabil said also he will urge for more compensations from the state budget for farmers.

BTA