Chile: Rains allow irrigation for the new fruit season in Coquimbo
The amount of water dropped in the Coquimbo Region after the storm that affected much of Chile will allow watering next season as a normal year, said the director of Fedefruta and president of the Sociedad Agrícola del Norte (SAN), María Inés Figari .
The drought that has dragged the region for a decade has left the 60% of the crops without water during the harvest. Although rainfall is welcomed by the agricultural sector, Figari was emphatic in pointing out that the reserves of water resources left by rainfall "are only for the coming season and do not solve the drought problem".
"We are very happy with the rains, because it was possible to channel the water well, we did not have any drop or flood of too large a river, so the result has been quite positive for the agriculture of the Coquimbo Region"The leader said.
Through a statement, Fedefruta explained that in the province of Limarí -the most affected nationwide, financial, productive and social by water scarcity- more than 160 millimeters of water are recorded, "what corresponds to a little more than what we have during a normal year", Affirmed the trade union leader. In addition, in the mountain range, they managed to accumulate more than two and a half meters of snow.
Since the 60% of the crops in the region did not have and have not had water prior to this storm, "for now we are analyzing if the sectors that did not have irrigation can return to activate slowly in the productive with these rains"He added.
"For now, we are happy since we have recovered our condition as farmers, that we can continue working the land that we want".
Fedefruta reported that the storm if it left some damage -by wind and fall of trees- in some greenhouses and fruit facilities.
Figari stressed that "the cost of the loss that we were having due to the drought, which to date is US $ 1.600 million, is much higher than what could have been damaged now" In this way, the SAN expects that with these rains, the bank will allow the farmers to request the redistribution of debts they have today due to the drought, and that they can obtain working capital to carry out the coming season that will have sufficient irrigation to survive.
Facts & figures
After the rains, reservoirs in the Coquimbo Region have accumulated quantities of water that, although they do not solve the problem of drought, will help at least to avoid the 2015-2016 agricultural season in the region.
Thus, while La Paloma reservoir records 30 million cubic meters (according to irrigators in the area who also expect a thaw of 20 million for such infrastructure), Cogotí already has 15 million and Recoleta with 11 million.
The SAN reported that, at the regional level, there are more than 100 million cubic meters accumulated, that is, 40 million more than at the same time last year.
Source: Fruit Portal
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