00:00 Here in Andalusia, many locals are sticking to the shade,
00:03 as they prepare for what could be the hottest day on record in April.
00:07 According to forecasters, Spain could experience temperatures of up to 40 degrees
00:11 Celsius later this week, temperatures that are normally seen in July.
00:15 "We have to prepare ourselves, because in the month that we're in,
00:20 in April, these temperatures are something unusual."
00:22 "Sheltering at home and staying there, that's the way to go."
00:28 The heatwave arrives after what has been the driest march in two decades in some areas.
00:33 The country is now officially experiencing a long-term drought,
00:36 after three years of high temperatures and little rainfall.
00:40 The drought is affecting 60% of the Spanish countryside.
00:43 A farmers' association says that this is causing irreversible losses to over 3.5 million hectares
00:49 of crops. Some will not sow any seeds for certain crops this year, as they know that
00:54 they won't withstand the conditions. This is the case for Eduardo Canuto, who grows rice near Seville.
00:59 Here, the fields should be green and damp, but instead the ground is cracked and dry.
01:04 "The situation is alarming. This season is very complicated because we're not going to be able
01:12 to sow rice. In the last two years, we've lost more than 80,000 tons because of poor water quality.
01:19 Today, the situation is very difficult."
01:23 On Tuesday, Spain's agriculture minister said that he had requested 450 million euros of aid
01:29 from the EU to help farmers cope.
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