Producers report cattle deaths, both large and small. /DEM
Continued rain shortages and high temperatures in the eastern part of the country have already had a direct impact on the livestock industry, with nearly 25 cattle already dead in San Miguel, according to the National Rural Indigenous Agricultural Table. food shortage.
“A colleague from an organization in the area reported yesterday (Tuesday) that about 25 animals (large and small) were starving in that area and another,” said Matteo, spokesman for the roundtable. Rendon said.
As of May, producers stopped feeding the cows because they tend to eat the grass that grows on the ranch, Rendon said, but the lack of rain left the cows starving and hungry. He added that some had died.
Shortages of pasture meant less milk, and the grass had to be supplied for cattle feed, increasing production costs for ranches.
In the long term, the high level of inflation in El Salvador since last year could push up dairy prices due to lower cattle numbers and lower milk production.
influence of El Niño.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has warned of an El Niño event from May to July this year, and predicts a 90% chance that the El Niño event will last all winter.
The El Niño phenomenon is associated with drought and reduced rainfall, and is impacting the coffee industry to the point of causing water stress due to scarcity.
Rendon said coffee growers do not expect yields to exceed 700,000 quintals in the 2023-2024 cycle.
A similarly alarming situation continues in the city of El Paiznal, north of the capital. Carlos Arteaga, a farmer from the area, decided to clear the ground and sow seeds after the first rains, but declared that it never rained again in the area.
Luis Treminio, president of the Salvadoran Chamber of Small and Medium Agricultural Producers (Campo), recalled that labor shortages, rising prices for agricultural inputs and rising land rents were some of the factors hurting the global economy. sector.
Treminio warned that production for the 2023-2024 cycle is further endangered by the presence of the El Niño phenomenon.
With current estimates of basic cereal yields at around 19.8 million quintals, Campo has already warned that this situation could lead to a decline in production in the 2023-2024 production cycle. there is
Producers have repeatedly proposed the creation of special funds for agriculture and subsistence, strategic reserves and soil protection policies, but to date the government has not taken up this.
Campo presented these proposals to various members of the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
Source: Diario.Elmundo
