The Minister of the Environment, Mircea Fechet, sounded the alarm about the annual loss of 1,000 hectares of arable land, due to desertification in the south of the country. He warned that the lack of urgent measures could lead to serious consequences for Romania.
In 20 years, Romania could have an arid climate PHOTO Shutterstock
In a statement made at the Business and Investment Round Table in Romania, organized by the British publication The Economist, Fechet highlighted the devastating impact of this phenomenon on agriculture and the life of local communities.
“I was personally in the south of Romania, in Dolj county, in Mehedinți county, and I saw with my own eyes how the desert simply swallows the arable surface there. It is very difficult to even think about how a community dependent on agriculture lives, given that in the Oltenia Sahara, as we call it, we lose 1,000 hectares of arable land every year“declared Mircea Fechet.
Minister of the Environment, Mircea Fechet PHOTO Facebook video capture
The solution: rapid afforestation of affected areas
In light of this alarming situation, the minister emphasized that the only viable solution to combat this phenomenon is the rapid afforestation of the affected areas. He highlighted the importance of allocating afforestation funds from the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (PNRR) to the south of the country, where action is most needed.
“The experts also tell us that, if we do not act quickly, in Romania, in 20 years or maybe a little longer, we will have an arid climate, we will have a climate very similar to the climate of Greece“warned the Minister of the Environment.
Serious consequences for agriculture
Mircea Fechet emphasized that, under these conditions, the consequences on agriculture and other economic sectors will be significant, and the impact on people's daily lives will be deeply felt.
“After all there is no joy in undergoing so soon such a profound change.” concluded the minister.
