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PARIS:France on Friday announced more than \u20ac1 billion ($1.16 billion) \u200bin aid for farmers after this summer\u2019s record heatwaves and \u200cdroughts devastated crops, pastures and water supplies.<\/strong><\/p>\n The support comes as the government is working on a politically perilous budget for next year, with Paris \u200bseeking to keep the deficit under control ahead \u200bof a 2027 presidential election.<\/p>\n \u201cOne billion euros represents a \u2060massive effort given the current budgetary context,\u201d Agriculture Minister Annie \u200bGenevard told reporters.<\/p>\n About half of the package \u2014 \u20ac520 million \u2014 will be \u200bsent out as rapid payments to help farmers deal with weather damage, she said.<\/p>\n France\u2019s main farmers\u2019 union, the FNSEA, said farmers had already \u200bsuffered at least \u20ac10 billion of lost production. The livestock and arable \u200bsectors have already estimated their losses at more than \u20ac5 billion each.<\/p>\n \u201cThe immediate \u200cgoal \u2060is to manage the emergency,\u201d Genevard said.<\/p>\n About 30,000 to 35,000 farms were in financial trouble, she said.<\/p>\n The aid plan also creates a \u20ac235 million recovery fund to help farms buy seeds, \u200bplant and animal \u200bfeed after \u2060droughts left farmland parched. Further measures include land-tax relief, help with social-security payments and a \u200bfuel subsidy.<\/p>\n The finance ministry has said this summer\u2019s \u200bdry \u2060and hot weather could shave 0.1 percentage points off France\u2019s economic growth this year, mainly due to lost farming revenue.<\/p>\n Another heatwave \u2060is \u200bexpected this week in the European Union\u2019s \u200blargest agricultural producer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n