Farmers face peril: Inundations endanger crops and incomes
The year 2024 hasn't been kind to farmers. They've recently lost two subsidies, making things tough for them. On top of that, farmers in southern Germany are now grappling with flood-related concerns about their harvest. Although Bavaria plans to assist them, the funds provided won't cover the extent of the damage.
Farms have been hit hard by the water surge, with Markus Drexler, a spokesperson for the Bavarian Farmers' Association (BBV), noting that "the water masses have destroyed large parts of the harvest for this year." The situation is especially dire in Swabia and parts of Upper and Lower Bavaria. The exact damage to crops like wheat, beets, potatoes, corn, and special crops like field vegetables, strawberries, or raspberries is still uncertain. There are farms where the entire harvested area has been under water for days.
Young potato or corn plants die when submerged in water for several days, so they rot. "Grasslands and grain that has been flattened by the floodwaters is, in most cases, not salvageable or contaminated," Drexler said.
In recent days, silos were evacuated in the flood-affected areas. Spokespersons from the Ministry of Agriculture in Munich said that farmers typically collaborated with each other, allowing them to use alternative storage facilities.
The damage to arable land relies on the presence of pollutants. However, there's a silver lining: damaged corn fields might be plantable again. "The key to the future care of the crops depends on the timely accessibility of the fields, which hinges on the further course of the rainfall," said Drexler.
The Bavarian government will allocate at least 100 million euros to aid those affected by the flood disaster. In a letter to Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber of the CSU, BBV General Secretary Carl von Butler mentioned that individual farms could face serious consequences, even existential threats. However, the aid offered may not even be enough to cover the losses for many of these farms.
Insurance coverage for crops is a complicated matter. Bavaria promotes a multi-risk insurance (MGV) for agricultural crops. The insurance helps, for instance, in the event of hailstorms. However, flooding that isn't caused by direct rainfall on the fields, but by river flooding, is not typically included in these insurance policies. The flooding of agricultural land is not insured and, consequently, won't be considered for MGV promotion in the future.
Both the association and the ministry expressed their appreciations for the female and male farmers who assisted in the flood fight. In many instances, farmers mobilized their equipment and machines to confront the floods.
