2024-08-02 08:51:00
Brieuc Boschet // Photo credit: JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP
After months of excessive rainy weather, a poor harvest is expected this year. Although the industry expects a 10% to 20% drop in production, the Ministry of Agriculture is opening the door to possible assistance for the worst-affected producers.
Hot in the south, stormy in the north. In recent days, France has been split in two. During the night between Thursday and Friday, severe storms hit the Ile-de-France and Grand Est regions, further threatening the survival of cereal growers. After months of rain and storms, production could drop by 10 to 20% this year, according to the Interprofessional Cereals Association and the Avalis Institute. As a result, the Ministry of Agriculture is already considering possible assistance for the farmers most affected.
Marc Fesneau gives farmers ten days to identify their needs and possibly trigger aid. The helping hand could take many forms. “There is insurance-type aid to manage cyclical effects. Or the ministry plans to waive fees or taxes,” agricultural economist Karine Daniel explained to Europe1.
Can the announcement really be realized?
The wheat sector is the most important in French agriculture. The costs to the state could therefore be high, but caution is needed, since the losses are currently only forecasts. “We have to see what these actual volume declines are and what impact these volume declines have on prices,” the economist recalled.
It remains to be seen whether Marc Fesneau will be able to accept these announcements. The ministers who resign must be replaced immediately after the appointment of a new government. In the meantime, the FNSEA is putting pressure on the executive. “The minister has no interest in returning empty-handed in ten days,” warned its president, Arnaud Rousseau. A speech was also addressed to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
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