Germany’s farmers battling coronavirus restrictions and still managing the problem of trying to find enough pickers for the asparagus season, are now facing a looming drought for a third straight year.
Germany’s agriculture minister is concerned about the impact of continued dry weather on crops which could hit farms incredibly hard.
Since mid-March, some regions had received less than 10 litres of rainfall compared to 50 litres per square metre usually.
The German Farmers Association (DBV) said aid of at least €1 billion was required and while the figure agreed to by the government comes in well short of that, this is still the first time since 2003 that the German government has provided emergency federal aid to farmers following a drought crisis.
Germany is one of Europe’s leading producers of crops including wheat, barley, and the country’s recent mild winter also means more insect problems for crops.
In past droughts the government has introduced financial support programmes for farmers.
