Brazil braces for the worst in about a century drought

Government agencies in Brazil have alerted about the worst dry spell in 91 years, Reuters reports.

Last week, the Electricity Sector Monitoring Committee (CMSE) recommended that the water regulator ANA recognise a state of "water scarcity" after a prolonged drought hit central and southern Brazil along the Paraná river basin.

The USDA-affiliated weather monitoring agency has issued the first "drought emergency warning" from June to September, saying that five Brazilian states are likely to get little rain during this period.

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"The lack of rainfall in most parts of Brazil is adversely affecting cereal cultivation, livestock production and electricity generation, as Brazil is heavily dependent on hydroelectric power stations," the message reads.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy said it has been trying to expand energy supplies to Brazil, but dismissed the emergency procedure for hiring more capacity.

As reported, dry conditions will persist in the coming months, especially in the South-East and Central-West regions of Brazil.

In 2020, Ukraine harvested lower crop yields due to drought.

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