For over a month, vegetable growers in Luxembourg have been forced to water their fields with drinking water due to a general lack of rain. This of course, is an expensive endeavor. Short and intense rains, such as the country saw over the last couple of days, fail to bring about the desired relief, conclude farmers, who remain concerned about the lack of regular precipitation.
Jean-Claude Muller from Contern, is also president of the Luxembourg Gardening Association. He stated that there are other factors contributing to the rise in costs for vegetables: "The price of water is consistent, we only need more of it. Fertilizer, however, has become five times as expensive as it used to be. Rent costs have also gone up, which are all factors with repercussions on the prices."
In light of the competition from foreign producers, Luxembourg's farmers cannot pass on their expenses to customers. Muller thus hopes that they can find alternative solutions, such as rainwater basins, to help get them through droughts.
Source: today.rtl.lu
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