Chile’s ministry of agriculture and exporter association Asoex have agreed to coordinate efforts to restore irrigation to stricken farms in the flood-hit Atacama region. Thousands of hectares of fruit production were affected by flash foods on 26 March which caused major damaged to horticultural infrastructure. Asoex said another 13,000ha of fruit production is being evaluated.
Agriculture minister Carlos Furche and Asoex president Ronald Bown met on Tuesday to agree a plan of action after visiting the region last week. They said a top priority would be to restore irrigation to farms in the valleys of Guasco and Copiapo by clearing irrigation channels from local rivers and canals.
“We are extremely concerned about the situation that is affecting producers, exporters and workers in the Atacama region, including 6,000 workers who could find themselves out of a job in the short term,” Bown said, adding that it was essential to restore normal operations as soon as possible.
Earlier this week, the secretary of state announced the creation of Permanent Emergency Response Team at the ministry of agriculture to oversee the necessary work. The government has also released details of a financial aid package for affected growers, which includes the cancellation of debts due by 2015 and a fund of up to US$5,000 per grower to help restore production.
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