East Anglian growers are meeting to discuss the deepening impact of the drought on the region's farm businesses.
The agri-food industry in the Fens alone contributes £3 billion to the region's economy and employs 50,000 people. But farm reservoirs, aquifers and rivers remain worrying low.
NFU water policy adviser Jenny Bashford said the risk of drought this year for many farmers could be considerable. The government, Environment Agency and farm leaders were working together to help growers manage their way through the situation.
NFU president Peter Kendall will travel to Norfolk to meet agricultural abstractors' groups on Tuesday (6 March).
Key issues under discussion will include:
• The latest information on drought prospects from the Environment Agency
• What measures are needed to protect East Anglia's vegetable growing sector.
• How abstractor groups can work together to eke out scarce water supplies
• What can be done to make irrigation licence regulations more flexible
Mr Kendall is visiting the Euston Estate near Thetford to meet members of the Sapiston Area Irrigation Group, hosted by estate director Andrew Blenkiron.
NFU regional director Pamela Forbes and senior policy adviser Paul Hammett will also be attending the visit.
The Euston Estate is a major grower of potatoes and root crops and relies on a secure supply of water for irrigation.
It has invested heavily in recent years in reservoir construction to improve its water security.
But low winter flows in local rivers has restricted the farm's ability to fill the reservoir in time for the summer.
Mr Kendall will then going to the NFU group office at Swaffham to meet the Nar Abstractor Group.
The condition of the River Nar is one of the most "at risk" rivers in East Anglia with flows in the river only one-quarter of its long term average.
The Nar Abstractors Group was formed on 24 February to help local farmers work together to manage their water supplies.
