Report
Drought: French farmers choose a more resistant wheat
Audio 01:12
Wheat field, France.
© REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
More and more French farmers are turning to wheat varieties that are more heat-tolerant.
Report in Grammont (south-west).
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With our special correspondent in the Tarn-et-Garonne
,
Alexis Bédu.
A hose reel distributes water in a wheat field.
At the heading stage, do not skimp on watering, especially with the daily 35 degrees in May, which is even hotter and drier than usual.
“
We have drought every year,
laments Laurent Dirat
.
It may be at different times, but we are always in a drought situation.
The crisis can strike in spring, summer, or even fall
.
We try to adapt as best we can!
»
On its 230 hectares, this farmer cultivates exotic fruits and vegetables, sunflowers and also wheat, a historic crop in the region.
And to adapt, like most of its neighbours, it has turned to a wheat variety that is more resistant to drought, even if it means losing added value.
“
I chose hardy varieties, unlike our small region which specialized in improving milling wheat
, explains Laurent Dirat.
The baking value of the latter is very high, but they are also much more sensitive to everything and especially to drought.
»
In addition to climate change, farmers have to deal with a tense context on the wheat market where prices are exploding and where the risk of shortage increases a little more each week.
Scientific research for more tolerant wheat varieties is advancing.
But it takes on average ten years between the start of research and the marketing of varieties.
► To read also: After the Indian embargo on wheat, the World Bank tries to prevent famines
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