Due to heavy rainfall and flooded fields, as well as earlier spring frosts that reduced or completely destroyed some crops, it has been decided to introduce a state of emergency in agricultural and rural areas across the country, Prime Minister Evika Silina announced on Tuesday.
A state of emergency due to unfavorable weather conditions was introduced for a period of three months, until November 4.
– The goal is to support farmers and minimize crop losses – said the head of the Latvian government.
The adopted specific regulations provide, among other things, for tax authorities to refrain from penalizing agricultural businesses for failure to make periodic payments. Farmers will also be able to request deferrals of loan repayments or changes to loan repayment schedules without incurring additional fees.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, crops and plantations in many places in Latvia have been flooded in recent months. Due to excessive soil moisture, machinery is often unable to reach the site, delaying or preventing harvesting, leading to economic losses and product quality losses. Farmers are struggling with rotting cereal, legume, and potato plantations, among other things. In many places, sowing has not even begun, the report emphasized.
Fruit growers are also experiencing damage, with their trees and fruit crops damaged first by spring frosts and then by excessive rainfall. Unfavorable weather conditions have also affected farms that focus on livestock farming.
– The long rainy periods that have been occurring since May have had a very negative impact on the agricultural sector in Latvia – admitted Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze.
According to data from the Latvian Centre for Environment, Geology and Meteorology, the amount of rainfall significantly exceeded the monthly norm between May and July (on average several dozen percent above the scale), flooding agricultural land in the central and eastern parts of the country.
Przemysław Molik (PAP)
pmo/ mal/
