Minister in plea for rain

FARMERS fear for their crops after three months of below-average rainfall in the north and west of France and the imposition of water restrictions in eight departments.

Ecology minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said there was a real risk of drought if there was no rain soon.

She said more than half of France, above the line Biarritz-Strasbourg, was affected with lower than normal groundwater levels.

“It is OK in the south-east and the Mediterranean coast but in the Paris basin, the north, the south-west and the west it is not OK. This is a critical time for crops to develop, perhaps a bit more in advance than normal because it has been so hot.”

The rainiest period of the year is from September to April and April is normally where heavy rainfall builds up reservoirs for the summer.