Ancashino district of Moro will lose up to 60% of its avocado and mango crops

The small producers of Moro will lose up to 60% of their avocado and mango crops due to the water crisis that affects that district and the entire Nepeña valley in the Ancash region. The scarcity of water, due to the lack of rain in the highlands, has caused the death of several plants and a notable reduction in the productivity of a crop that annually generates millions of dollars in exports.

“The users (producers) are desperate and no longer know what to do to save their plants. The impact due to the lack of water will be significant because between 50 and 60% of the total avocado and mango production will be lost in Moro alone,” explained the president of the Nepeña Hydraulic Sector Users Board, José Salas Vidal. Water stress causes abortion (drop) and reduced fruit size because the plant no longer has enough nutrients to sustain itself.

Investment

The district of Moro has 2,400 hectares of avocado and mango and each producer invests annually more than S/ 15,000 in fertilization and maintenance of both crops, in order to obtain a good production. However, some farmers would no longer get their money back as a result of the extreme drought.

“My field is far away and there is no water here anymore. The little water that arrives is not enough to irrigate all the plants. And since it is quite hot in the summer, then the plant suffers more”, argues Eugenio Martínez from the Virahuanca sector. While Juan Chauca, from the Paredones sector, remarks that “the authorities should act to take preventive measures.”

The Rural Comprehensive Development Service (SEDIR), an institution that provides training and technical support to small producers, once again toured different fields in the Moro district to verify the damage caused by the water crisis.

The Ancash region is the second exporter of mango and fifth of avocado at the national level with annual figures that exceed 80 million dollars for both fruits.