Low reservoir levels and “inadequate water management” threatens some 50,000ha of production
Almost 50,000ha of agricultural production in northern Peru are under threat due to an ongoing water shortage.
According to the Association of Agroindustrial Producers of Piura (Apag-Piura), low reservoir levels are causing concern among the region’s producers. Affected crops include grapes, mangoes, limes, bananas, blueberries, coffee, avocados and passion fruit, amongst others.
“Right now we are going through a period of extreme drought. The Poechos reservoir has just 115mmc (million cubic meters) of water, because this year a historical minimum flow of contributions has been recorded,” Apag-Piura said, adding that if the situation persists, “Poechos will stop supplying water to agriculture in the coming days, guaranteeing only primary and population care”.
The association said the authorities had failed to manage water resources in a professional way, even though it was predicted that this would be an extremely dry year. “This leads to million-dollar losses, a significant reduction in production and the unemployment of tens of thousands of formal workers who depend on the agro-industry,” it said.
According to Agraria, agriculture is the second most important economic activity in Piura, making up 13.2 per cent of its GDP and generating direct and indirect employment to one in four Piurans, equivalent to 280,000 people during the season peak.
Apag-Piura is calling for the National Water Authority prioritise the use for the population, livestock and permanent crops. “This measure, although adopted late, will mitigate the effects of the crisis and ensure that, at least, the available resources are distributed efficiently,” it said.
