BUCHAREST, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Romania is facing one of its driest agricultural years in over a century, with rainfall far below normal levels, the head of the National Meteorological Administration (ANM) said on Friday.
Speaking at the "Climate Change and Economic Impact" conference, ANM Director General Elena Mateescu said the 2023-2024 agricultural year ranks as the fifth driest since records began in 1901, with cumulative rainfall from September 2023 to July 2024 totaling just 534.7 liters per square meter.
Mateescu warned that the current 2024-2025 agricultural year is also on track to be among the driest, with only 500.7 liters per square meter recorded so far. "It's very close to the top of the driest agricultural years," she said.
Severe soil drought continues to affect wide areas in Romania's west, south, and southeast, threatening crop yields and economic stability. Mateescu pointed to a growing trend, saying dry years have occurred five to six times per decade since 2000.
She called for urgent adaptation strategies in agriculture and climate change, alongside emergency planning, to tackle escalating climate risks.
