STORY: Droughts threaten cereal production in Spain: expert
DATELINE: Aug. 17, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:01
LOCATION: Madrid
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of harvest
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): JAVIER ALEJANDRE, Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA) representative in Madrid
3. various of harvest
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): JAVIER ALEJANDRE, Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA) representative in Madrid
5. various of harvest
 
STORYLINE:
 
The severe droughts currently affecting Spain will threaten cereal production this year, a Spanish expert has warned.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): JAVIER ALEJANDRE, Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA) representative in Madrid
"It results in disastrous harvest, with production below 60 percent of normal, which means that our production this year has remained around 40 to 42 percent of normal annual production."
 
Spain registered the driest start to a year in the first four months of this year since records began in the 1960s, with Catalonia and southern Spain's Andalusia being the most affected.
 
Several heatwaves recorded in Spain and wider Europe this summer have worsened the drought, lowering reservoirs' levels.
 
Estimates from the Spanish Grain and Oilseed Trade Association (Accoe) for the 2023 autumn-winter cereal harvest forecast a notable drop in production compared to last year, which already showed final quantities well below half.
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): JAVIER ALEJANDRE, Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA) representative in Madrid
"It is necessary to develop new cereal varieties that are more tolerant and resistant to water stress and heat waves because this problem may happen again in the coming years. We have to optimize water consumption and be as sustainable as possible in terms of using this resource effectively, which we know is absolutely critical for production now and in the future."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Madrid.
(XHTV)