About 24,000 hectares of crops established in the agricultural valleys of southern Sonora were partially or totally damaged by the frost caused by the fifth winter storm.
The head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources, Fisheries and Aquaculture (SAGARPA), Julio Corona Valenzuela, met with the affected farmers to check the damage that the frost caused on the crops.
So far there are 24,000 hectares affected by the frost, partially and totally, in the agricultural valleys of Yaqui and Mayo.
The crops grown in the area include squash, onions, peppers, green beans, beans, castor bean, corn, maize corn, potato, cucumber, tomato, tomatillo, and watermelon, among others.
The state official said that thanks to the information they had obtained a few days after the frosts they would start taking concrete actions to support producers to solve this emergency.
"The state government will work with federal authorities to declare an emergency zone so we can activate the corresponding protocols of the different units in favor of the affected producers," he said.
He also said they started taking the necessary steps before the Ministry of Social Development (SEDESOL) to implement the Temporary Employment Program so as to support thousands of farm workers who lost their jobs.
Additionally, in the case of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), once they have calculated the total damage the producers won't have to pay the wages of the patterns corresponding to the affected hectares.
Source - freshplaza.com
