For weeks, farmers in Germany have been waiting for rain and are now calling for a billion euros in government aid.
But German Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner says she has to wait for data before doing out any money.
But they cannot expect any immediate help from their federal government.
Speaking one day after the DBV requested €1 billion ($1.17 billion) to compensate farmers whose crops have been most severely affected, Agricultural Minister Julia Klöckner acknowledged that some farmers had good reason to fear for their livelihoods and "the corn is literally drying out on its stalks."
But that’s unlikely to come as much consolation to either farmers or climate activists, who say the drought is evidence of the devastating effects of global warming.
‘A glass of water against a wildfire’ On Tuesday officials from Klöckner’s ministry met with representatives from the states for a kind of "drought summit."
But Klöckner says that not all extreme weather phenomena can be blamed on climate change and that farmers have enough on their hands at present.
Breaking point With minimal levels of rain having fallen since April, the normally fertile regions of the north and northeast have seen their grain and crop harvests severely affected, with massive losses now guaranteed as a result of the drought.
Read more: Climate change already affecting German farmers "We expect billions in losses," Rukwied said last week.
The grain crop alone has fallen by eight million tonnes, which equates to 18 percent of the annual yield.