“For stalky grains these measures are already too late, as these have begun to dry up, and something can only still be done for corn,” said Marcel Cucu, President of the League of' Associations of Romanian Agricultural Producers (LAPAR). He added that the drought has severely affected the barley and wheat crops, with production forecast for the latter at 2.5 million tons, about half of that obtained in a normal year. In some parts of the country, especially in southeastern Romania, there are areas where the losses will amount to 70 percent of production, due to a lack of irrigation of fields.
Ilie Sarbu recently announced that the drought and icy conditions affected over one million hectares of the seven million ha of grain planted in fall and spring. He said that a state of emergency could be declared, but added that the drought will not drive food prices up and that the effects thereof will not be felt.
Farmer representatives have indicated that two weeks ago, only some 100,000 hectares had been irrigated and that the maximum possible at present is some 500,000 ha, based on irrigation installations worth some €3 million. Cucu said that the Minister of Agriculture should ensure support for the establishment of an Organization of Users of Irrigation Waters, and allocate funds for the completion of the Siret-Baragan canal and the acquisition of equipment.
The President of the National Meteorological Administration (ANM), Ion Sandu, said Wednesday that the peaks of the 2009 drought will be in July and August, and that this summer will be as dry as that in 2000, although there will be no restrictions on water usage.
