Sunflower and corn producers are complaining of “heavy losses” due to the ongoing drought. In areas with little rain lately, yields are expected to be halved compared to last year, and where it has not rained at all in the last three months, mainly in the center and south, nothing will be harvested, Vasile Mârzenco, executive director of the National Farmers’ Federation, told IPN.
“There are sunflower fields from which farmers will not gather anything. There is no point in running a combine in such a field because harvesting costs will outweigh anything they might get from selling the output”, said the FNF executive director.
The costs for one hectare of sunflower or corn amount to 8,000-10,000 lei. “Seeds have become more expensive, fertilizers and diesel the same. More than half of the sunflower and corn fields in Moldova are severely affected by the drought. An impressive number of farmers will not be able to cover production costs. But the worst thing is that they will not have enough means to start the new agricultural season. In August-September we already have to start preparing the land for sowing with autumn wheat and autumn barley”, said Vasile Mârzenco.
In these conditions, farmers expect the government to lend them a helping hand. “I know that such support funds are quite difficult to get, because the crisis is not only in Moldova, but in all of Europe, and not only”, added Mârzenco.
Sunflower and corn fields have been hit the worst in the districts of Ștefan Vodă, Cimișlia, Anenii Noi, Strășeni, Călărași, and Telenești.
