"The overall balance for the horticultural sector in the Colombian department of Bolivar in 2015 can be considered negative, compared to previous years, due to the impact of El Niño." According to Luis Carlos Álvarez Montes, coordinator of Asohofrucol Bolívar, this negative outlook for the department's fruit and vegetable sector affects traditional crops like mangoes, yam, bananas, avocados, hot peppers, citrus fruit and pineapples. The prevailing climate changes in the region have affected the vegetative and productive development of crops such as yam, which suffered delays in the harvest, leading to atypical circumstances in the crop's agronomic management, especially in Montes Maria, said the union leader. Mangoes In 2014, the mango production in the north of Bolívar reached 3,200 tonnes (of the Hilaza variety) and was marketed by Postobón, CEA, Bazurto market, Barranquilla, Medellin and Cali, AOL. Production in 2015 has dropped by 40% (1,280 tonnes) due to the impact of water stress, which affected the fruit's quality and size. This has led to the presence of pests and diseases such as sooty mold, anthracnose, ants, aphids and termites, among others. Asohofrucol, through its technical facilitators, has implemented mitigation strategies and phytosanitary monitoring to prevent the impact of such pests and diseases and tackle adverse agro-climatic and sanitary conditions. The severe weather conditions killed seedlings in the municipality of Bonito, in El Carmen de Bolívar. Chili peppers The production of chili peppers in the department of Bolívar concentrates in the municipalities of San Jacinto and El Carmen de Bolívar. The crop has suffered delays in the setting, as the agro-climatic conditions have been adverse. Yam Around 7,000 hectares are devoted to the production of yam, subject to seed availability; the planting was carried out during the third and fourth weeks of May and there has been a substantial increase in the acreage planted with the new diamond variety (+30%, 2,100 hectares). Citrus fruits (orange) 80 hectares are devoted to citrus fruit production in the municipality of Margarita, in San Jose. 50 hectares were scheduled to be established in March, but this did not happen due to adverse environmental factors. Of the 12,000 seedlings that were expected to be given for these 50 hectares through the Seed Plan (a program which Corpoica has with the Ministry of Agriculture), only 3,000 seedlings were delivered. It is worth noting that, of the 16,320 seedlings planted, 7% (1,142 seedlings) have been affected, i.e. will have to be replanted.