Drought affects expectations of grain harvest

The drought that started last summer and autumn and still continues will not endanger Moldova’s food security, assure the authorities. On the other hand, specialists in the field say we should expect a worst wheat harvest. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumakov said that despite the unfavorable weather conditions, the grain fields look well and if snow falls soon, the harvest will not be affected much. “Everything is relative. One month and a half ago, there was a disaster, but the situation has improved and the grains started to develop,” he stated. According to the official, the provision with wheat and the food security of the country is not one and the same. “There are countries that do not grow wheat, but the food security is not in danger. There are now other concerns. If the drought continues, we must adjust the land cultivation technology to conservation agriculture so that we do not lose the amount of water in soil,” said the minister. Ilie Boian, director of the State Hydrometeorology Service “Hidrometeo”, said the remaining period of winter may meet the thermal and pluvial-metrical norms. “The results of a study made by us showed that after a long period of draught, periods when it is humid or the humidity is within the norms usually follow. Even if the winter is drier than normal and we will have fewer reserves of water in soil, we hope that the spring and summer will be rather good,” he said. He also said that the grains are not in the best state as they were to start to sprout before winter, but the process began with a delay of almost one month and a half. “The weather conditions were unfavorable and the sowing started on October 10, when it was to end,” he stated, adding plants’ roots are weak and, even if it snows, the grain crop will not be very large. Ilie Boian said Minister Vasile Bumakov repeatedly assured that nothing threatens the country’s food security as the grain harvest in 2011 was very good and the exports were low so that there are grain reserves. If the conditions in spring are good, parts of the land where the crops did not sprout will be resowed.