Does rain drown crops?
Lithuania is drowning in the rain. Last night alone, some regions received almost all of July's rainfall, according to the synoptics. In the districts of Varenna, Trakai and Kaišiadorys, the threshold for heavy rain is said to have been almost reached. And so far, weather forecasts do not predict a drier period. What does this mean for farmers who have just taken to the fields with their harvesters?
Grain quality suffers
„The crop is ripe, it should be harvested, but the question is whether it will be possible to get into the fields in a week or so," says Vaidas Matukaitis, deputy chairman of the Vilkaviskis Region Farmers' Union.
Audrius Vanagas, head of the Lithuanian Cereal Growers Association, echoed him, noting that the rain is shuffling the cards: „The situation is not good. But we hope that things will improve and that the weather forecast will change. The weather forecasters are not yet forecasting it.
Nearly all cereal crops, especially oilseed rape and wheat, are currently suffering from excess rain.
„Heavy rainfall at the maturity of the wheat harvest reduces the quality of the grain, i.e. the quality of the wheat is lost“, – says A. Vanag.
„Stealing“ hours from the rain
„My advice to all farmers would be to just „steal“ for hours, cut as much as you can, even when wet, and take it to the elevators to dry. It's better to choose one of two evils," says Jolanta Grey-Geinienė, a farmer in Kaišiadorys district, who is outraged at the almost ceiling-high prices for drying in silos. Unfortunately, she said, the situation today is quite difficult.
Jolita Greiniene says that she has managed to harvest barley this way – „by stealing“ hours of rain –. Although the moisture content was 19-20%, the grain had to be dried because it fell short of the required moisture content of – 14% &ndash. The work therefore takes days – the harvested grain is dried overnight in the dryers.
„This rain will definitely have an impact on the wheat, and we have varieties that could already be cultivated. It will definitely affect the quality," says Jolanta Grey.
Government intervention expected
„I don't remember the year exactly, but in 2012, the wheat just sprouted in the ears without being harvested because it just rained and rained. If that scenario happened, it would be a nightmare. At that time, farmers were having a very difficult time both with work and financially," Puidokas notes, adding that the upcoming sowing of rapeseed and catch crops is already worrying farmers.
„I don't know what the parameters should be, or who should set them, but it would be very good to start thinking about declaring a state of emergency. Because many people have obligations to the NMA, for example, for catch crops. So many may not meet the deadlines," points out the LFA Vice-Chairman.„State support is necessary and always brings benefits. The declaration of a state of emergency due to frost in the spring has helped those farmers who had pre-agreed contracts for oilseed rape“, – the declaration of a state of emergency is also supported by Jolanta Gray-Greinienė.
„Farmers would indeed be more emboldened if at least some action were on the table. We certainly hope so. There is a reason for this, because it is not a normal situation that it rains so much and for so long," Puidokas concludes.
