Thilbaud Hue edited by Wassila Belhacine 1:12 p.m., May 15, 2022

The summer heat and its consequence, the drought, are already being felt throughout France.

Wheat producers risk losing part of their harvest due to high temperatures.

If the government has announced that the water agencies could provide financial aid to agricultural sectors, fears are still felt among farmers.

REPORT

26 degrees in Strasbourg and Toulouse, 27 degrees in Lyon, 22 degrees in Paris.

The heat wave is prolonged and the first signs of drought are being felt.

Wheat producers risk losing part of their harvest due to high temperatures.

The government announced at the end of April that the water agencies could spend an additional 100 million euros to help agricultural sectors create new water reservoirs.

Nevertheless, farmers are still worried about their crops.

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"The earth is cracked. It lacks water"

"The earth is cracked. It lacks water".

Beneath Eric Apathy's feet, the ground cracks, crumbles to dust, and the wheat suffers.

“We see the ear and it will soon flower. It is right at this time, after flowering, that there will be the filling of the grain. And there, we fall into the driest period there is. It is only those that will be supplied with water that will be harvested. The rest will not grow," explains this farmer.

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A drop of sweat on his forehead, Eric Apathy is very worried.

He risks losing 30% of his crops this year.

To stop the bleeding, he waters almost every day, which represents a colossal cost of energy.

"I must be at 3,000 euros per year of fossil fuels. And there, it's going to be 6,000 euros. That's why this drought is financially worse off. I've never had to bear such costs", he explains at the microphone of Europe 1.

So to plan for the following years, Eric Apathie installs solar panels to produce electricity, hoping to reduce his losses.

Otherwise, he says, his small farm of ten hectares of wheat could well disappear.