Compounded by the heat, the drought in Yucatan has been devastating to farmers.
More than 3,000 producers have been unable to save their crops due to the lack of irrigation infrastructure, according to local media.
The drought is said to be Yucatan’s worst in 20 years.
Already, high temperatures have caused produce prices to rise as sellers bring in fruits and vegetables from other states.
The lack of rain has been made worse by the lack of official support from the State Secretariat of Rural Development, which, to date, has not provided producers with economic subsidies or material means. Farmers rely on government help for fertilizers, seeds, chemicals, and electrical resources to be able to implement irrigation systems in the fields.
A representative of the producers stated that the official austerity plan from the federal government was causing the ruin of the producers from Yucatan.
He said he hoped the federal government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, will provide official support to the fruit and vegetable sector in the face of this exceptionally devastating drought.
Jose Filomeno Tejero Poot, president of the Association of Horticulturalists of Yucatan, said that if the drought lasts longer, a large part of the state’s harvest will be lost and they will have to bring food from other parts of the country to supply the demand of the population of Yucatan.
Source: Tribuna
