"There is distress among these people who cannot have access to water, who can lose everything," the minister said at a press conference at a fruit cooperative he had just visited in Ille-sur-Têt.
"We will cover the loss of crops or the loss of funds," he added, referring in particular to arborists who may lose not only their harvest but also their trees.
"We must accelerate the device" so that compensation can be received more quickly than usual, also said Fesneau.
"We cannot pay farmers in April 2024. It's a crisis situation like Covid," he said.
Guy Banyuls, an operator whom the minister also visited in Espira-de-l'Agly, said there was "nothing concrete today" in terms of compensation, describing his situation as "catastrophic".
While his vines should survive the drought, he fears that all of his apricot trees will perish for lack of water. "It would take heavy rains," he said.
In Ille-sur-Têt, the gendarmes held some 200 meters away about thirty demonstrators waving CGT flags that rang their pots and pans.
"Crisis" measures, including new water restrictions, are to be announced Tuesday by the prefect of the Pyrénées-Orientales, then enter into force Wednesday, including in "the territories of Tet and Agly", two coastal rivers crossing part of the department.
This department bordering Spain is the most affected by drought in France. It has not experienced a comparable situation since 1959, date of the first measurements of this type by department, according to data from Météo-France.
© 2023 AFP