Drought, Blight Destroy 208K Tons of
Grain in Guatemala
Guatemala - Some 208,723 tons of white
corn have been lost this year in Guatemala
as a result of a prolonged drought, the
Agriculture Ministry said Wednesday.
A report by the ministry said the value of
the lost grain is estimated at 146.1 million
quetzales ($17.5 million).
It said most of the crop failures occurred
in the so-called “dry corridor,” made up of
the provinces of Jalapa, Jutiapa, El
Progreso, Zacapa, Chiquimula and Baja
Verapaz.
The lengthy drought has destroyed 175,003
tons of corn in that region, a situation
exacerbated by the loss of another 32,500
tons from a crop blight in the provinces of
Quiche, Huehuetenango and Alta Verapaz.
Hundreds more tons were lost due to flooding
in parts of Quetzaltenango, Chimaltenango,
Quiche, El Progreso and Baja Verapaz.
First detected in July, the food shortage
has affected more than 54,000 poor families
in Guatemala’s east and northwest and put
another 400,000 families at risk, the
government says.
The international community has responded
with shipments of humanitarian assistance
after President Alvaro Colom said the
country required some $100 million in food
aid. EFE |
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