Summary
On 31 May early estimates, against the background of a very unfavourable draught situation for agriculture, point to noticeable falls in winter cereals yield and feeble prospects for current spring crops. In fact, the absence of moist in soils and the shortage in water for irrigation led farmers to opt out of, or to reduce, surface usually cultivated. The shortage in natural feed for the cattle stock is a reality with various consequences, either in the short term (increase in production costs, decline in quality of animal products), or for building forage stocks for next winter, or also for the regenerative capacity of land and pasture over the next productive cycle.