COPENHAGEN, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Due to a prolonged heatwave and drought, Denmark's harvest of wheat, barley, oat and triticale could drop about 40 percent compared with previous years, Reuters reported Thursday.
According to the Danish Agriculture & Food Council (DAFC), the low harvest will cause a loss of 6.4 billion Danish kroner (about 995 million U.S. dollars) to Danish farmers.
The Danish government has approved a series of aid measures for farmers. Organic farmers have already received some assistance in the form of allowances for reducing roughage quotas without losing organic status in order to more easily feed livestock that normally eat grass.
"There is no doubt that many farmers have been hit hard by the drought," said Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, Danish minister for Food and the Environment.
"A lot is at stake for individual farmers, which is why we are open to suggestions as to how we can help the agriculture sector in this unusual situation," he added.
The low harvest could also increase consumer prices. "Prices have about doubled to around 120 to 150 euros (about 138 to 173 dollars) a ton in some areas," said Troels Toft, crops director at DAFC. "But demand is very high and Danish farmers are seeking to gather every bit of straw they can; nothing is being left on the fields this year."
Denmark exports 157 billion Danish kroner (about 24 billion dollars) of agricultural products per year, accounting for a quarter of its total exports.
The scorching heatwave continues in Europe, causing forest fires and agricultural losses in various countries.
