Agustin Morales, the head of the Ministry of Rural Development (Seder), stated that volcanic ash had damaged 95 hectares of various crops in the municipality of Comala, such as avocado, coffee, blackberry, lime, lemon and corn, and had affected 26 producers.
He said the damages had been corroborated in an inspection tour made on Tuesday (October 4) by Seder staff, the General Comptroller, and a delegation of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) in the communities of La Yerbabuena and La Becerrera.
"61 hectares of avocado were affected, 21 of coffee, 3 of blackberry, 3 hectares of lemon and lime, and 7 hectares of corn," the state official said.
Additionally, Morales said, they were going to tour some land in the municipality of Cuauhtémoc on Wednesday, where farmers reported the avocado crops had been affected.
Volcanic ash contains much sulfur, he said, and the rainwater of those days triggered a chemical reaction that burned the crops and many trees in the area.
When asked if the federal government was going to provide economic assistance, after the Ministry of the Interior declared a state of emergency for the municipalities of Comala and Cuauhtémoc because of volcanic activity, he replied that they were exploring that possibility but that they still didn't know if the insurance taken out by the State Government would be available in his particular circumstances.
Source - http://www.freshplaza.com
