Algarheim in Akershus. drought norway
© Fredrik Hagen / NTB scanpixAlgarheim in Akershus.
Preliminary calculations in Norway showed crop damage caused by drought this summer might worth 1.1 billion kroner (133.7 million U.S. dollars), news agency NTB reported Friday.

"This shows what extremely demanding situation we are in when there are such big damages. It says both about the challenges of the farmers and how solid the compensation scheme for crop damage is. It will cover these costs," Minister of Agriculture and Food Jon Georg Dale said.

Grass and grain producers in southern Norway will apply for state compensation of more than 1 billion kroner, while potato, vegetables, berry and fruit producers will probably seek compensation of around 60 million kroner, NTB wrote.

In July 23 Dale agreed with the Norwegian Farmers Union and the Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union (NBS) on new measures against the consequences of drought and crop loss.

The Norwegian Agriculture Agency has herewith increased efforts for faster treatment of compensation applications. Farmers seeking compensation can get an advance of up to 70 percent, according to the Norwegian government. (1 U.S. dollar = 8.23 kroner)


Comment: Norway today reports:
This year's dry summer could be worse than 1947 drought

The fierce drought that has hit southern Norway has been declared the worst since 1947. However, according to experts, the record is expected to be broken.

The 71-year-old record from 1947 has become known as the worst drought in man's memory. Klassekampen newspaper wrote that it is too early to conclude if 2018 will pass this, but that the months of May, June and July so far this year are drier than the same months then.

"It's much drier so far this summer than in 1947, which is seen as the driest summer in the years when measurements have been made," said climate scientist, Ketil Tunheim, at the Meteorological Institute, to the newspaper.

It has been particularly dry in Hedmark, Oppland, Møre and Romsdal.

"In these months, there has been half as much rain as in 1947," he said.

So far this year, it has been drier than in 1947 in all the country's counties, with the exception of Akershus, where there has been more rainfall than at that time. In Østfold, the situation is about the same, while it was wet both years in Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark.

The consequences of the drought of this year also seem to be worse than in 1947. College lecturer, Thomas Cottis at Høgskolen in Innlandet, has gone through the crop statistics for Statistics Sweden and believes that the drought in 1947 was moderate compared to this year.

''The drought in 1947 had little effect on crops compared with this year. The total crops this year are likely to be no more than half of the norm,'' he said.