Hungary is preparing emergency measures to help farmers due to drought

Hungary’s new government has announced plans to take emergency measures to help farmers as dry weather for much of April is leading to a severe drought in the grain-producing country, Bloomberg reports.

The Eastern European country, which traditionally grows wheat and corn for export, saw almost no rain last month, the national meteorological service reported, calling the situation critical. Due to the high importance of the agricultural sector, previous droughts in recent years have periodically exacerbated outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s struggle to restore economic growth.

Péter Magyar, who is scheduled to take office as prime minister on May 9, announced on Saturday that he had instructed his candidate for environment minister, László Gajdos, to develop a plan to help farmers. These urgent steps are necessary because his Tisza party’s long-term water conservation programs will take time to implement.

“We need an immediate action plan to minimize the impact of the severe drought expected this year—on water resources, nature conservation, landscapes, and agriculture,” Magyar emphasized.

Tags: Hungary, subsidies, drought