Money for farmers affected by drought will be implemented from the national budget for 2025, Minister of Agriculture Czesław Siekierski said in an interview published on Monday. He added that in the autumn, around half a billion zlotys will be paid out to those affected by the April frosts.
In the August issue of “Rolnicze pory roku” published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture assured that as first aid financial aid will be given to farmers whose fruit plantations suffered as a result of spring frosts and hailstorms. He explained that this mainly concerns farms from the areas of Opole Lubelskie, Kraśnik, and the Sandomierz region.
The weather conditions were unusual this year (very warm autumn and February 2024, frosts at the end of April, and then water shortages).Rainer Fuhrmann/AdobeStock
Millions for farmers
“We received EUR 37 million from the European Commission for this purpose. At the same time, we obtained permission to supplement this EU support to 200 percent from the national budget and we will use this opportunity,” he said. He added that the total amount of aid will amount to about half a billion zlotys, and it will be transferred to farmers' accounts in the autumn of this year.
He also informed that a separate form of aid will be support for farmers implemented on the basis of the arrangements from protocols made by special commissions estimating losses caused by drought and other natural disasters. He explained that this aid will go to affected farmers from all over Poland and will be implemented as part of expenditure from the national budget for 2025.
Frosts appeared in AprilIULIIA GUSEVA/AdobeStock
At the end of the week, the government is to adopt the draft budget act for 2025, in connection with which meetings will be held within the ruling coalition in the coming days.
“In the tenth reporting period, i.e. from June 21 to August 20, 2024, the average value of the Climatic Water Balance (CWB) for the country, based on which the assessment of the drought risk is made, was negative, amounting to -79 mm. The water deficit in the current period, compared to the previous sixty-day period, increased by 1 mm,” IUNG reported.
Hydrological drought (illustrative photo)AdobeStock
Drought in 13 voivodeships
As reported on Monday by the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation (IUNG) in Puławy, agricultural drought occurred in thirteen voivodeships: Lublin, Podlaskie, Podkarpackie, Mazovia, Greater Poland, Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Łódź, Świętokrzyskie, Opole, Silesia, West Pomerania, Lesser Poland, Warmian-Masurian.
Drought in Poland. Farmers: the situation is very difficulttvn24
The drought affected the following crops: silage maize, grain maize, fruit bushes, legumes, potatoes, field vegetables, tobacco, hops and sugar beet.
Main image source: TVN24