Shamir: Rain not enough for farmers

Although this year’s rainy season began impressively, the rains have proved insufficient, due to the largely scattered storms and warm temperatures that prevailed in the past few months, Agriculture Minister Yair Shamir said on Tuesday. “The scattering of rains in this year have been problematic, and even are likely to lead to the declaration of a drought year,” Shamir said, noting that professional ministry staff will be continuing to monitor the situation and resultant crop damage.This was the driest February since 1999, and in the Coastal Plain the driest since 1984, the ministry reported.That being said, the water level of Lake Kinneret on Tuesday morning was 209.885 meters below sea level, just 1.085 meters from being full, according to the Water Authority.