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Drought the worst on record: Australian farmers

Xinhua, May 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Farmers in the predominantly agricultural state of Queensland in Australia have said they are going through the worst drought "in living memory."

Their rural lobby group AgForce said its members are in dire straits as a record 80 percent of Queensland is officially in drought.

An AgForce members survey titled Make or Break Time for Assistance showed most producers will not be able to make a profit this decade.

AgForce policy manager Lauren Hewitt wanted the Federal and the State Government assistance but said the current system doesn't help those most in need. "The data is imperative for the government to see and understand that these packages are not working," she said. "We've been in there for the last year and a half, saying and telling them that these packages are not hitting the mark."

Meanwhile farmers and their families are suffering uncertainty and financial hardship due to the lack of rain. Endi