At least a third of crops are expected to be lost as Lithuania’s farmers battle with an intense drought. Forest fires are also causing concern.
"There has never been a drought like this in the 30 years of the farm's life," said Julius Šateika, adding that the ground has turned into ash. According to the farmer, if the water systems do not irrigate his fields, part of the harvest will be lost.
"It all depends on the weather, we need rain,” said Šateika.
The Farmers' Union believes that at least one-third of the harvest has been lost already.
"We are focusing on rapeseed and cereals, because they are probably the main sources of income for Lithuanian agriculture,” Raimundas Juknevičius, president of the Farmers' Union.
“The impact of this drought is exacerbated by the fact that this year, due to the high cost of fertilisers, these crops are less fertilised,” he added.
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Meanwhile, authorities have been paying close attention to the country’s forests. This year, more than 70 fires have already broken out, burning more than 20 hectares of forest. In most municipalities, the forest fire risk has reached class 4 out of 5.
"We want people to be very responsible with fire in the forest. If you want to light a bonfire, do it only in the designated places,” said Giedrius Tamošiūnas, head of the Kuršėnai Division of the State Forest Enterprise. “If the fire has finished burning, put it out with water, so that there is no danger of the forest catching fire accidentally because of a spark or embers.”
According to the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service, drought has affected western Lithuania the most. However, the situation is worsening and the drought will soon cover the entire country.
"It is slowly spreading to all regions of the country. Weather forecasts and long-term forecast models show that June will be drier and warmer. This means that there will continue to be a shortage of rain," says Gytis Valaika, spokesperson of the service.
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