Global Courant
The stocks of basic grains and a series of vegetables, both for planting and for self-consumption and marketing, especially for small producers, run the risk of decreasing by up to 50% in the coming months in some areas of the country. according to two agricultural associations from the west and east of the country, who attribute this situation to the effects of the current weather conditions.
For example, in areas of the Northern Transversal Strip (FTN), corn planting ended more than 40 days ago, but it has not rained. And in Ixcán there are two planting areas, one during the winter which is the current one, which is the one that is already affected, and should come out between August and September, there is also the largest, which takes place in October, November and December and it is coming out in January or even in April.
“The difficulties I’m talking about are on the banks of the rivers, now imagine in the upper part where there is no irrigation or humidity, so the producers depend on the rain and are facing problems,” said Gustavo Rivas, president of the National Association of Basic Grains (Anagrab).
Regarding when this situation could be reflected in the market, he explained that if corn was planted from April 15 or in May, the harvest should be ready between August and September, which may not happen and then there will be a decrease in the available grain.
There are many farmers who have not planted while waiting for winter to set in, an aspect that will also cause a decrease in the national harvest, he added.
In his opinion, strategies are needed from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (Maga) for the subsistence grain producer and for those who harvest for trade. “The latter does not require that they are giving him anything, but that they support him with irrigation systems and a safe market, since the same story repeats itself every year.”
The manager of Anagrab added that on the south coast, in the east and in Petén the milpa is also beginning to wither and it could be rescued, but only if it rains in the next eight to ten days.
Drought, rain and plagues
Only in some eastern and western areas, the loss in the harvest due to lack of rain in producing areas would be around 460,000 quintals.
César Peralta, a corn producer in microregion 5 of Ixcán, and president of the Association of Agricultural Producers and their Derivatives of Ixcán (APADI) expressed: “I am 70 years old and I have never seen this; there are large areas with problems, because the droughts have affected us too much”.
The manager explains that the flowering season is 45 days and some 5,000 apples are planted in those areas. Of these, according to information mentioned by Rivas, about a thousand manzanas have dried up, while Peralta indicated that it could reach around 3,000, which would represent between 100,000 and 300,000 quintals less corn.
For now, a commission has been formed and this week began to communicate with Maga to ask for support, added Peralta.
Similar conditions are reported by Emerson Barco, president of the Federation of Agricultural Associations of Guatemala (Fasagua), stating that in eastern areas such as Jutiapa, Jalapa and Chiquimula, more than 17 days have gone by without rain, but then it arrives irregularly and very copious, which also causes problems.
“In the area there are about 5,000 producers and of them, about 4,000 are subsistence and generate about 160,000 quintals of corn; but planting has been affected by the lack of rain and production will drop by 50%, that is, they would only reach 80,000 quintals. In the case of commercial production, they get around 100 to 150 quintals of corn per manzana, although that production has been maintained up to now,” Barco said.
He added that, just as humidity brings some diseases to the plant, drought also, so costs go up anyway because they must use pesticides.
For example, in products such as vegetables or legumes such as tomatoes, about Q4,500 per month per apple are invested for fertilization. The other problem they face are pests, since winter creates a natural ban, that is, it cuts cycles, but since it doesn’t rain they reproduce faster and more is spent on insecticides. Associate crops could face problems, and coffee because it would produce less fruit, was added.
much uncertainty
Eddie Mendoza, former director of Fasagua and current producer and agricultural consultant, explained that the situation is critical, since in some regions it rains a lot and in others the opposite occurs, so “uncertainty is what kills farmers the most” since that many delayed sowing due to the news that winter would come late and those who ventured to sow see that their bushes do not germinate.
In the case of coffee, regions such as Pueblo Nuevo Viñas and in the Tecuamburro part, due to uncertainty, people have not planted, he mentioned, and explains the effects of climate on different types of crops:
Crops such as vegetables have drip irrigation and are benefited, since although winter prevents some pests, it must also be taken into account that since there is no rain there are no fungal or bacterial activities, so the costs are lower. Those crops that are subject to the rainy cycle, such as corn and beans, are where there are great sowing problems, but in the future there could be a seasonal shortage, which is what was seen in 2014 to 2016 when there were very prolonged heat waves and sowings They got lost. In the case of perennial crops that are subject to the rainfall regime, such as coffee, for example, they begin to flower with the first rains but since there is no continuity in the rains, the plant aborts it because it cannot sustain it and that causes it to decrease. Harvest.
While this is happening, the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (Insivumeh) is already visualizing a heat wave that could be recorded between July 10 and 20.
Maga was consulted regarding the difficulties effects on crops due to drought in some areas, or copious rains in others, and through the Social Communication office he replied that personnel from the institution maintain a presence in the 340 municipalities of the country, where he conducts training, provides technical assistance and monitors local production. “So far in 2023, no damage to crops due to lack or excess of rain has been reported,” he said.
available quotas
Between January and April 2023, the Ministry of Economy (Mineco) opened tariff quotas for shortages for products such as rice, yellow and white corn, as well as beans. Of these, the one for beans has already been awarded in its entirety and the one for white corn, 75%, according to data as of June 12.
The decision to open quotas such as those mentioned is based on information provided by Maga regarding the fact that the national production of these will be insufficient to meet the needs of the population during the current year and is made to guarantee that the demand for the product is covered. in the country, as established in the recitals of the respective ministerial agreements with which said quotas are approved, although they do not explain the reasons for the lack of these foods.
To request registration to be able to import using these quotas, the interested party must enter the computer system through the link as detailed on the Mineco website.
Then, enter the registration request part, where the form to fill out will be displayed, depending on the contingent to which you wish to register, as well as the corresponding regulations, is added.
