Between heavy rains since last fall that often delayed or prevented planting and a lack of sunshine that affected yields, grain production could be down “10% to 20%” from last year, a “national” phenomenon. During a trip to a farm in Sainville in Fesneau, Eure-et-Loire.
Participating farmers spoke of very different situations, with losses of up to 50% in certain areas.. “For common wheat, we are usually around 36 million tonnes, some are reporting 28, 27 or even 26 million tonnes for this year, which is a big drop,” stressed Eric Thirouin, president of the General Association of Wheat Producers (AGPB). But we have to wait until the end of the harvest, which has been interrupted by intermittent rains since early July, to get a general idea.
See you in 10 days
“We wanted the minister to be aware of the problem,” said Arnaud Rousseau, president of FNSEA, the first agricultural union present during the visit. “Now we give him a meeting within ten days, ideally with the prime minister, and he should not come empty-handed,” he said.
Even if the ministry manages day-to-day operations, “that doesn’t mean we’re not doing anything,” said Mark Fesneau. “We continue to look at the situation, we can activate the mechanisms (…), we can start discussions with a certain number of authorities, so that those responsible for monitoring agricultural issues – and who we are – will see that things are ready. is the beginning of the school year,” he added.
In addition to the mobilization of crop insurance, “measures such as the tax credit for uncultivated land (TFNB) and, if necessary, the mobilization of the precautionary savings deduction (DEP) can also be mobilized,” the ministry’s press release said. .