Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Buenos Aires (Agenzia Fides) – Argentina, one of the largest producers of grain and meat, is now suffering one of the worst droughts in the last 50 years, with substantial losses in crops and livestocj, and with few possibilities of immediate relief. In some areas, the lost of corn and wheat crops has reached 40% and the nation as a whole is already above the 10% mark of the global agricultural production.
The drought, which has lasted eight months already and that according to experts could last much longer, is the result of the weather pattern called “La Niña” in the Gulf currents. This weather pattern is affecting the majority of the country, however it is mainly concentrated on the area going from the central-eastern part of the nation to the northeastern border, including parts of Buenos Aires and Santa Fe, two important agricultural provinces, and has caused a real disaster in at least five Argentinian provinces: : Entre Ríos, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Chubut, and San Juan.
The lack of precipitation has considerably lessened the lands used for wheat and corn. Cattle numbers have dropped about 700,000, as vegetable feed is scarce or non-existent due to the lack of water.
According to official statistics, the harvest of 2008-2009 will not reach 80 million tons, which shows 15 million less than the previous year. On account of the soybean alone, the country's main export, the losses are at about 3.6 billion USD. Nearly 3 million USD have been lost in sunflower, corn, and wheat plantations. The Argentinian farmers will suffer losses between 3.6 and 4.3 million dollars in wheat, corn, and soy, due to the drought. The severe lack of rain will reduce corn production by 36.4%, wheat by 30.8%, and soybeans by 10.9%, sources from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology said. That means a loss of 17.5 billion tons in the production of these three main exports, with losses at an estimated value of 4.3 million dollars.
The losses in the agricultural economy could reach 7.8 billion if the loss of bovine livestock is counted, a statement from the Argentinian Rural Confederations said.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has ratified the declaration of a national agricultural emergency in five agricultural provinces, deferring the payment of various taxes for one-year's time and sending in thousands of tons of grain to prevent more livestock from dying in the areas of the “Pampa humeda.” She also announced a financial aid of nearly 4 million USD to remedy the effects of the drought. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 13/2/2009)
