STORY: Spain to import more wheat, corn, barley to make up for crop reduction due to drought
DATELINE: Sept. 14, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:02
LOCATION: Madrid
CATEGORY: AGRICULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of crops affected by drought in Spain
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): LUIS PLANAS, Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
3. various of Spanish agriculture
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): LUIS PLANAS, Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
5. various of Spanish agriculture

STORYLINE:

The Spanish government said it would import more wheat and corn, whose output has been reduced by drought, in addition to the already reported annual deficit in olive oil.

Yields of crops, including cereals, oilseeds and legumes, were significantly reduced this year due to drought.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): LUIS PLANAS, Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
"We forecast that we should buy 20 to 21 million tons from abroad to meet usual consumption, which is between 30 and 35 million tons."

Cereal production in Spain is expected to be around 11 million tons, 40 percent lower than that of 2022.

Barley yield has registered a reduction of 39 percent year on year, soft wheat is down by 36 percent, and corn by 20 percent, mainly due to a lack of water for irrigation.

Olive oil production this season is 55 percent less than that of last year, while prices have increased by more than 50 percent compared to that of last year.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): LUIS PLANAS, Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
"It's a hopeful message because I believe that with the instruments we have at our disposal at the moment, we are capable of being able to respond to that situation which is absolutely necessary not only from the point of view of human life, but also of food production."

The Spanish government has predicted that 2023 will be the year with the highest loss ratio in the history of agricultural insurance, with total indemnities exceeding 1 billion euros, of which some 460 million euros will be allocated to crops damaged by drought. (1 euro = 1.07 U.S. dollar) 

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Madrid.
(XHTV)