The rain flooded Vojvodina’s crops: over 300 liters in some places

Unstable climatic conditions in the first half of 2023 have a harmful effect on Vojvodina crops. Experts claim that a lot of damage was done, especially in the settlements of Bačka Petrovac, Kisač, Stepanovićevo and Bačka Palanka.

“The situation is quite uneven, depending on the locality,” Tatomir Srđanov, an advisor from the Agricultural Expert Service in Novi Sad, told NS Uživo. “In some parts, there was over 300 liters of rain, the fields were waterlogged, even flooded, and the crops were failing.” Srdjanov then pointed out that farmers have a big problem with weeds and various plant diseases that appeared on the fruits after the flooding. At the same time, due to bad weather, there was a change in the schedule, and a noticeable delay in sowing.

Srđanov states that the biggest problem is wheat, grain and corn crops. Compared to them, the adviser continues, the sugar beet crops look “fantastic”. He added that the weather disasters of the last few months did not have any significant negative impact on them.

Regarding the success of farming this year, Srđanov emphasized that the conditions for farmers will be very unfavorable if the weather remains this deceptive until the end of June. He added that July and August are two key months for crops. “If it happens that this rainy period passes and a drought starts at the end of June, so that it doesn’t rain until September, it is not of great importance because in agriculture the schedule by months is very important,” concluded Srđanov.

Flooding in the region

The problem of heavy rainfall was felt both in Serbia and in the region. Farmers from Bosnia and Herzegovina report similar problems with flooding and weeds. In the regions of Lijevče Polje and Potkozarje, as Nezavisne Novine reports, corn is already lagging behind in growth, reaching between 4 and 5 leaves instead of the desirable 7-8. Experts from the region state that at least 20% of the currently planted corn will be sown due to damage caused by frost and flooding. Therefore, contributions will be noticeably lower compared to the same period last year.

Fruit growers are also in trouble

Apart from arable farming, this year’s rainfall will also have a negative impact on fruit growing. Raspberry, blueberry and strawberry fruits are already suffering this damage in the form of plant diseases and pest infestations. The problem of heavy rains was one of the main topics during the agribusiness conference “Grow Up – Power of the Earth” held last week on Kopaonik. Aleksandar Pavlović, director of the USAID Competitive Economy Project and one of the panelists on the impact of climate change on agriculture, emphasized that the rains will “destroy fruit growing” and that better infrastructure is needed to combat this problem. At the same time, he mentioned the lack of information among producers on the subject of the current climate impact on agricultural contributions.

Sources: NS Live, Independent Newspapers, Dnevnik.rs