Bay of Plenty Rural Support Trust chairman Derek Spratt is estimating the cost of the drought for the region to be $15 million.
Minister of Agriculture David Carter declared drought in the region last week. This opens avenues of government assistance for struggling farmers to take.

See below for video of Bay of Plenty Rural Support Trust chairman Derek Spratt talking about how bad the drought situation is.

Derek says the government assistance is critical for the region's broader economy as when farmers struggle - everyone else is affected.
"It has a trickle on affect for the entire economy. The majority of our region's economy is based around agriculture and horticulture.
"If farmers are not making profits, they are not spending in the community. They are not buying fencing materials, they are not employing contractors. A lot of them won't even be doing basic things like servicing their cars."
The official drought will be in place across the Bay of Plenty until the end of September.