Guatemalan Agriculture Needs
Millions Of Aid Due To Storm Damage
GUATEMALA - Guatemala's Agriculture Minister
Juan Alfonso De Leon said the nation's
farmers need 372 million quetzals (around 47
million dollars) in aid to rebuild after
last month's Tropical Storm Agatha, news
reaching here reported on Tuesday.
De Leon said that the largest single loss
was to the automatic irrigation system,
which will need 35.6 million quetzals for
repair. More than 38,500 hectares of crops
have been destroyed, hitting the livelihoods
of close to 69,000 families, he said. The
worst affected crop was corn, with 26, 400
hectares.
"The greatest damage was caused by flooding
and landslides that left many areas
deforested," De Leon said. The ministry has
a budget of only 8 million quetzals for the
whole year.
De Leon said that there would be no
immediate food crisis.
The ministry will be helping farmers plant
fast-turnover corn crops aiming to recoup up
to 70 percent of the damaged crop before
October. Even so, the nation's staple food
might be in short supply in November, he
warned.
The minister added that 21 of the nation's
22 departments suffered some damage, but
that Escuintla was worst hit with close to
67 million quetzals worth of damage.
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