The Uruguayan Ministry of Agriculture (Mgap) has declared a state of agriculture emergency in the citrus regions devastated by the severe frosts at the beginning of June, according to a report by El Observador.
The declaration, which lasts for 90 days from 1 August, authorises the use of the government’s agriculture emergency fund in order to offer several types of loans to help those affected, Mgap sub-secretary Enzo Bénech explained.
Bénech told El Observador that Mgap is in the final stages of preparing a package of assistance for the producers and companies affected by the coldsnap.
The frosts mainly damaged citrus groves on Uruguay’s western coastline, Bénech said, although the southern and eastern areas of the country were also affected.
The regions worst affected by the cold weather are Artigas, Salto, Paysandú and Río Negro, while the departments of Maldonado and Canelones suffered to a lesser extent.
According to Uruguay’s Agriculture Minister, Tabaré Aguerre, Uruguay has lost 36 per cent of the 300,000-tonne citrus crop forecast for this year, which translates into monetary losses worth US$35m.
Mgap data indicates that Uruguay produced 315,209 tonnes of citrus in 2010, of which 105,306 tonnes were exported as fresh and 82,744 tonnes went to the processing industry.
This year, planted area with citrus in Uruguay stands at 17,018ha.
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