2024-08-03 12:49:44
It is estimated that insurance payments to farmers will amount to about 10 million. euros. This amount may still change, because currently only winter rapeseed and summer crops are evaluated. The most damaged fields – 46 percent. cereals were grown, 28 percent. rapeseed, 24 percent legumes. The crops of Joniškis, Šiauliai, Kelmės, Pasvalis and Radviliškis districts were the most affected by the storm.
As Zofija Cironkienė, an expert of the Lithuanian Vegetable Growers Association (LDAA), explains based on primary data, the biggest losses are recorded in places where catastrophic rain fell. The Hydrometeorological Service registered such rain at 5 meteorological stations: Telšiai (110.1 mm), Laukuva (97.3 mm), Šiauliai (93.1 mm), Joniškii (81.8 mm), Mažeikia (80.7 mm).
“Storm damage to vegetables is local. Bigger losses are where several monthly precipitation rates have fallen, there is still water in the plots and the crops will die,” said Z. Cirokienė to the “Elta” news agency.
According to her, some fields of carrots, beets and smidgens are affected. There is no doubt, says the LDAA expert, that some plants will get sick due to the consequences of the storm, which will mean a worse harvest.
“For example, at the ŽŪK “Jakiškiai” farm, over 20 ha of carrots, 30 ha of beets are currently under water. Also, over 150 ha of grain crops are drowning, and the entire area of 2 ha of smidgens has been laid at the intersection of Anykščiai, Panevėžys, Ukmergė districts. Mechanized maintenance work is no longer possible,” she comments.
“Smids that have been laid out dry more slowly in the morning. It’s only a matter of time before some disease strikes. Unweeded interstices and possible diseases lead to a worse next year’s harvest, because the smidars will not accumulate enough nutrients”, says Z. Cirokienė.
According to Toma Rickevičienė, head of damage assessment of the fund’s Lithuanian branch “VH Lietuva”, wheat losses are small – in most fields 1-3%, in some – 6%.
“Although the situation looked dire during the storm, it is important not to panic about the effects of the rain on the crops, because their condition depends mostly on what kind of weather comes next. Before the rain, the earth was thirsty for rain and quickly absorbed the 100-150 ml of rain that fell, so the losses of the wheat harvest are small,” says T.Rickevičienė.
Martynas Rusteika, manager of VH Lietuva, emphasizes that the rain did not last long, which allows some plants to be harvested. According to him, if the rain continued for 10-15 days, it would be a tragedy, and there is none in the current situation.
“Wheat is lying down in some fields, but it is already in the stage of hard maturity and nature allows farmers to harvest these plants as soon as possible. Those with good equipment are already threshing wheat fields. Damage is greater in winter rapeseed fields. Most fields have 11-15 percent, some up to 100 percent. harvested canola, because after the rain “opened” the pods, the grains fell out. However, a paradox: the fallowing of rape helped to protect the harvest”, comments M. Rusteika.
What damage the rain has caused to the bean fields will be assessed later, as the harvest date is only 2-3 weeks away.
Crop mutual insurance fund “VH Lietuva” unites 2.5 thousand of farmers, includes 96 percent all crop insurance markets and has insured a third of the protected Lithuanian crop area. “VH Lietuva” took over the collective experience of crop damage regulation from the German mutual insurance fund “Vereinigte Hagel” (VH), which has been working for 200 years and covers more than 110 thousand. the experience of farmers in 10 EU countries – Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Croatia and Italy.
2024-08-03 12:49:44