Wheat was mostly replaced by forage crops during the 1990s, and abstraction rose again (Figure 4) as fodder, unlike wheat, is harvested up to three times a year. Cumulative abstraction for the period 1975-2004 was 29 BCM or 29 times what was predicted in 1984 [1,000 MCM).5' The drop in abstraction in the early 1990s is most likely due to a decrease in global wheat prices, which was also reflected in other basins. Currently, wheat is the main winter crop and, together with fruit and vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes and watermelon), constitutes about 35% of the total annual crops.