Frost damage to at least 100,000ha of citrus groves in north-eastern Argentina has led to a declaration of agriculture emergency and disaster in the provinces of Entre Ríos and Corrientes, according to local media reports.
“The situation in the area is hopeless. All of the fruit has been lost, many plants are now unusable and nurseries were destroyed,” Corrientes government representative Lucia Aspiazu was quoted as saying by La Nación.
“It’s a fatal blow to the region’s economy,” Aspiazu added. “We need help so that the people can return to producing and some type of subsidy so the people can survive until production recovers.”
Entre Ríos governor Sergio Urribarri has apparently met with Argentina’s president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to give a diagnosis of the situation and establish a short-to-medium term response, according to a report by APF Digital.com.
Around 50,000ha of citrus, including mandarins and oranges, have been affected, as well as lemons and grapefruit to a lesser extent, APF said.
More than 80 per cent of production reportedly suffered during the coldsnap, which will affect 12,000 workers and cost 600m pesos in economic losses.
The frost, which hit on 7-9 June, registered temperatures of -5oC which lasted for 12 continuous hours, APF explained.
