Drought Wrecks Havoc On Israeli Wheat
27 April 2006 Israel’s wheat production is expected down by about one-third due to severe drought in key areas, reports the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS).
The Winter of 2005-06 brought a 10% to 25% drop in average rainfall in the country’s wheat growing regions, resulting in a 32% lower than expected wheat crop, almost 40% lower than that in previous year. A large area of the Negev region and much of the country’s southern crop area were hit hard by the drought. More than 40% of the planted wheat area in Israel is located in the south.
The government has designated the area a drought disaster and will soon begin compensation.
The rest of the country benefited from favorable growing conditions for wheat, with expected yields between 4 tons and 6 tons per hectare. Gluten and protein levels are expected to be above average.
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