欧洲干旱影响小麦产量

Dry weather in parts of Europe is threatening production of key crops like wheat - at a time when the world is Already battling high food prices and agricultural problems in other areas.

正当全世界各地面临高粮价和农业问题之际，欧洲部分地区的干旱气候已经威胁到小麦等主要农作物的生长。

Thursday's weather forecast brought some good news for parts of France - rain. But for the rest, it's more of the same - clear skies and sunshine.

星期四下雨的气象预报为法国部分地区带来喜讯。可是法国其它地区依旧是晴空万里和骄阳高照的天气。

Outdoor cafes are packed. But the French government is worried. Authorities have announced water restrictions in about a third of the country. This week, Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet called the situation "critical."

巴黎的露天咖啡座依然拥挤，可是法国政府忧心忡忡。官方已经在全国三分之一地区宣布限制用水。而这个星期，法国环境部长科西斯科-莫里泽说，目前情势危急。

Farmers are particularly concerned.

特别感到担忧的是农民。

Dairy farmer Alain Duchemain told French TV his cows are having a hard time finding enough grass for grazing. Duchemin's hay harvest was a month early - and half the normal yield.

乳业农场主达谢敏告诉法国电视台，他饲养的乳牛无法找到足够的草地放牧。干草饲料的收获比预定季节早了一个月，产量只有往年的一半。

Poland, Austria, parts of southern Germany and Britain are also experiencing unusually dry weather and high spring temperatures.

波兰，奥地利，德国南部以及英国也都遭遇了干旱的气候，以及气温偏高的春季。

Ignacio Perez, cereal analyst for the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, said it's still early in the crop season. And while Europe accounts for one-fifth of the world's wheat production, so far drought has not hit Europe's biggest agricultural heavyweights, Russia and the Ukraine.

巴黎经济合作发展组织的谷类分析家伊格纳西奥·贝利兹说，现在仍是收成季节的早期。虽然欧洲小麦产量占全世界五分之一，欧洲的旱象还没有侵袭到重要的粮食产地乌克兰和俄罗斯。But Perez says the European drought is a concern from a global perspective.

但是贝利兹说，从全球的观点看来，欧洲旱象足以令人关切。

"The situation is worrying, but it's more worrying due to the fact we are in a period of uncertainty regarding high prices, expectations of high supply response due to an excess of demand for food products in the world," said Perez.

他说，“情势令人忧心。但更令人担心的是，由于全世界对粮食的过度需求，我们正处于粮价高涨，供应难以确定的时期。”

Parts of Canada and the United States are experiencing heavy rains and flooding, while droughts are hurting crop production in Western Australia and China. This is happening as global demand for food crops is growing - and prices are rising.

美国和加拿大的部分地区大量降雨造成水患。澳大利亚西部和中国则因为旱灾而导致农作物受损。这些情形也都发生在全球粮食需求上升，粮价上涨之际。

That trend may well continue - especially if global warming is playing a role in these weather patterns- as Perez believes is the case.

目前的情势可能会持续下去，特别是如果地球升温继续影响这些地区的气候模式的话。而贝利兹相信，情形确实如此。

"If we move more into a worldwide problem in terms of food security and production starts to be more and more important, we're going to have to revise some policies," said Perez.

他说，“如果食品安全越来越成为全球性的问题，如果粮食生产问题变得越来越重要，我们就必须重订某些政策。”

European Union countries have been focusing on improving the quality of crop production and farmers' incomes. Now, Perez says, they will have to work on boosting production - and investing in technologies like irrigation to deal with future droughts.

欧盟会员国一向专注于改善农产品的品质和农民的收入。贝利兹说，现在，他们还将致力于产量的增加，投资于水利工程，以预防未来的干旱气候。