Agriculture losses could add up to PLN 30 bln
PR dla Zagranicy
Jo Harper
28.08.2015 17:01
Losses in the agriculture sector due to Poland's ongoing drought may be as high as PLN 20-30 billion (EUR 5-7.5 billion).
Photo: Flickr.com/Brad Higham
Head of the National Council of Agricultural Chambers Victor Neumann said on Friday that many farmers had yet to report the extent of the impact and are not yet included in the government’s calculations. Neumann said the initial valuation is approx. PLN 1 billion.
"Agricultural production in Poland is worth more than PLN 100 billion. So if there was a decline in production of between 20-30 percent, agricultural losses could amount to approximately PLN 20-30 billion," Neumann told a press conference in Warsaw on Friday.
The Polish government has pledged that PLN 488 million will be allocated to farmers whose crops have been hit be the drought. Polish agriculture minister Marek Sawicki said compensation will be provided to farmers whose losses exceed 30 percent of their average income calculated over the last three years.
Over one million hectares of crops have suffered nationwide as a result of the drought, with losses affecting at least 100,000 farms. (jh/rk)