After the drought in 2018, the food price of several foodstuffs went up.
Above all, it was the prices of root vegetables and berries that rose.
Now a similar scenario awaits.
Out in the fields on Österlen, the soil is dry and large cracks cut through the fields. There have been many expensive costs for the country’s farmers in recent years and already this year’s drought is being compared to the hot summer of 2018.
Erik Nilsson out in Österlen is one of all concerned farmers. He believes that the farmers in Sweden are facing an imminent disaster this season if they do not get a sufficiently large harvest and then no income either.
– There are those who are still paying off their bank loans after the financial loss. We have had a pandemic and now a war which has increased our costs in agriculture very much. The interest rate is another factor, he says.
Similar scenario to 2018
One consequence of the summer drought in 2018 was that food prices rose sharply for several foodstuffs. Among other things, white cabbage rose by over 70 percent and potatoes by 20 percent. Carrots and onions also rose in price – as well as berries
And at Livsmedelsföretagarna, one sees a gloomy forecast.
– It doesn’t all look good. We know that the season started badly in southern Europe with drought and torrential rain. There are major climate effects now, says Carl Eckerdal, chief economist at Livsmedelsföretagen.
“Support us”
This means that prices for food raw materials are shaky. And the farmer Erik Nilsson has an appeal to the buyers.
– What will happen is that there will be a shortage of Swedish food. And what we hope is that consumers will support us and the local, he says.