Drought Costs
Costa Rica Six
Million Dollars
Drought caused
by El Niño
phenomenon cost
Costa Rica more
than six million
dollars between
2009 and the
first month of
the year.
According to the
Ministerio de
Agricultura y
Ganadería
(MAG) - ministry
of Agriculture
and Livestock
- crops of corn,
rice, sugar
cane, beans,
vegetables and
livestock were
especially
damaged by
scarcity of
rain. The most
affected region
is Chorotega in
the northern
Pacific province
of Guanacaste
where 1,200
hectares of rice
was lost as well
as 5,000 of
sugar cane.
In the same
region 2,000
hectares of corn
were lost and
122 of
watermelon were
also lost.
In face of the
scarcity of
rain, MAG
invested about
one million
dollars in aid
for farmers last
year.
Overall El Niño
affected last
year production
of basic beans
in Central
America where
losses in
agriculture rose
to us$70 million
dollars,
reported the
Inter American
Institute for
Cooperation on
Agriculture (IICA).
The regional
institution
informed that
the region
suffered a
reduction of
rains and high
temperatures as
well as a
reduction of
water volume of
the main rivers.
However,
forecasts
indicate that
between April
and June 2010
temperature of
superficial
waters of the
Pacific
Equatorial
Pacific will
tend to
normalcy. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
