[ad_1]
Zofija Cironkienė, director of the Lithuanian Vegetable Producers Association, is convinced that an emergency situation should be declared in Lithuania due to the heat.
“With so much heat, nobody grows above 30 degrees. The yield is low, even watering does not help to cultivate it. In addition, this situation can lead to an increase in the prices of vegetables, ”said a representative of the Association of Vegetable Producers.
Ignas Hofman, vice president of the Lithuanian Farmers Union, also agreed that it is difficult to increase the pressure on both plants and animals.
“The plants evaporate a lot of water. Vegetable growers incur higher costs, they need to water vegetables more frequently. This can have a direct impact on price increases as growers will not achieve the planned harvest. Of course, attention should also be paid to the situation in neighboring countries – Latvia or Poland. They are our closest competitors. After all, we are well aware that the opportunities are great at the moment, so products can be imported from other countries.
As for the grain, its yield will also be lower than expected. However, it is too early to talk about prices, because the price of grain is set internationally. So we still have to wait, ”said the farmer representative.
Milk is milked less
He also highlighted that heat has the greatest impact on ranchers.
“Just as people have a hard time turning up the heat, so do animals. For example, people on the coast have been exposed to insect attacks. The animals are struggling with the same thing, they are being attacked by bloodsuckers. Farmers are trying to protect them.
Also, bitterness has a direct effect on production. For example, less milk is milked during the heat ”, said I. Hoffman the problems of the farmers.
Andrius Pranckevičius, vice president of the board of Linas Agro Group, agreed that the farmers are experiencing great difficulties.
“The nights are as hot as the days. And when the temperature does not drop below twenty degrees at night, there is no time for the buildings to cool down.
For example, the buildings of our company are modernized, they have a fan. It seems that these technologies should help, but they do not help. Ventilation is useless, the same hot air passes through. If the temperature dropped to 15 degrees at night, as in summer, there would already be a cooling period. Now it doesn’t exist, “said a company representative.
According to him, animals have to endure the heat, for example, cows eat less, drink more water, which reduces milk production.
“We notice that the amount of milk decreases every week. The quality of the milk is also affected, the proportions of protein and fat decrease. Buyers capture these proportions and see them getting worse each time.
We’re just waiting for that heat to end. However, the thermal shock that the animals receive will not pass as quickly. Thermal shock continues to have a negative effect for another 3 months, although the air temperature drops below. Animals don’t recover that fast. Then we can feel the consequences until mid-autumn.
However, we have not yet felt the changes in the price of milk, “said A. Pranckevičius.
The harvest is already beginning
When talking about the effect of heat on the grain, a company representative pointed out that the grain lacks moisture and the rains that sometimes come no longer help.
“It does not rain everywhere, the center and north of Lithuania received little rain, it rained more in the south of Lithuania, in the Vilnius region. But, for example, in our particular case, the rain did more harm than good. In the wake of the storm, the slag spread over several hundred hectares of crops.
The rye harvest is about to start, so even if it started to rain, it wouldn’t change a thing. The main period of grain maturation has passed. And the damage of the last weeks will be felt after the harvest, ”said a company representative.
According to him, a good harvest was expected all the time, perhaps even better than last year.
“But the last hot weeks have adjusted the yield, the grain will be smaller. It is also a big question what will be its quality and class. It is not clear how many quality grains we will have and how much food. So we see that the heat did not bring any benefit ”, assured A. Pranckevičius.
According to him, the European price of cereals is falling slightly.
“However, the price will finally form in the next 3 weeks. All the major countries whose yields determine prices will reap. If the yield is less than expected, then the price will go up, if the yield is good, the price will hardly change. In general, the price of grain is quite high, only a lower yield can increase it, ”said A. Pranckevičius.
[ad_2]
