Rabat – A new report from the European Commission’s Joint Research Center warned of severe droughts in the Maghreb and Turkiye that could affect agriculture, water availability, and energy consumption.

“Following the extreme drought and heatwaves in 2022, two large regions in the Mediterranean show severe dry conditions in early 2023,” an announcement about the report said. “These may trigger potential impacts on agriculture ahead of the 2023 summer season.”

The report notes that this winter has been warm and dry over many parts of the Mediterranean as of February, with effects being observed in soil moisture and river flows.

The center added that the region can expect a delay in sowing their cereal outputs, adding that Morocco has already seen a considerable reduction in its planted area, with neighboring Algeria also witnessing a below-average performance in all major production areas.

“The JRC MARS Bulletin on North Africa reports wheat yield forecasts in the Maghreb from -24% to -15% compared with the last 5-year average,” the announcement added. “As for barley yield forecasts, values range between -30% to -10%.”

The changes are also expected to cause high levels of water stress in the region, with both governments having already launched programs and measures to limit water wastage.

In Morocco, the country’s National Office of Electricity and Potable Water (ONEE) reinstated penalties for late payments on water bills, in addition to rationing the use of drinking water in some regions last year.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) detailed in its recent quarterly report the impact of last year’s droughts on North African agriculture, as the countries have needed to import more essential food items in a difficult international market to deal with the effects.

The report also voices concerns about the coming summer, warning of the possibility of another extremely hot period, much like the ones experienced in 2022 and 2021.

In Turkiye, the impacts of the recent disastrous earthquake that hit its southern regions and Northern Syria is expected to only compound the effects. Water reservoirs were already below 50% filling level when some of them had to be discharged due to the quakes