Summer heat and insufficiently recharged groundwater: the lack of rain throughout France threatens the growth of cereals and in particular wheat, alerted the FNSEA, the majority agricultural union, on Monday.
“No region is spared. Every day that passes, we see soils cracking. Even in the North, the cereals are thirsty. Yesterday I was with a farmer in Puy-de-Dôme, he is watering his wheat. If it continues like this, those who have the possibility of irrigating will get by, the others will have dramatic drops in yield,” its president, Christiane Lambert, told AFP.
Significant heat episode
“Since October-November, there have been huge droughts in Portugal and Spain, which have been rising in Occitania and Provence and along the Rhône valley. What is unusual in this season is that the drought affects the north of the Loire,” she explained.
Météo-France evokes “a heat episode” which, without being unprecedented, is “remarkable for its precocity, its durability and its geographical extent”. The 30°C mark should be reached between New Aquitaine and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur at the start of the week. It will be less hot in the north of the country but just as dry.
Wheat needs water
“The coming week is worthy of a month of July. We are very worried. It’s a delicate period for cereals: the wheat has reached its adult size, the ear has developed and we are now at the grain fattening stage”, explains Joël Limouzin, in charge of emergency situations at the FNSEA.
However, without water, the fertilizer the plant needs to produce quality grain will not be able to rise in the stem, “it will remain in the soil”.
“Storing Water”
Without water and under the effect of heat, the grains will wither, with the risk of “a loss of yield which can go up to 40% if the weather remains dry for several weeks”, warns Joël Limouzin.
The period is complicated for wheat, more than barley which is more advanced in cultivation, and in particular in the large cereal plains of Beauce and Burgundy, he believes. “More than ever, we need to be able to store water,” pleads the FNSEA, which warns that the risks of an even greater spike in food costs in the event of a poor harvest in France.