Peru (Ayacucho): Severe hailstorm causes serious damage to potato crops and other production
“We have lost almost everything. The farmland is white as if it had snowed. Now we don’t know how to recover what little we had.”
A severe hailstorm on Thursday afternoon caused significant damage to crops and homes in the Lucasapata annex of the Acos Vinchos district (Huamanga province), as well as in several communities in the Chungui district of La Mar province. The storm caught hundreds of families, primarily farmers, by surprise, leaving a scene of loss and concern.
According to testimonies from those affected, the hailstorm lasted for several minutes, completely covering the farmland and damaging potato, bean and corn crops, many of them in key growth stages.
See moreBooks about PopesAgricultural management softwarePotato pricepotatoPotato ClassifiedsAgricultural machineryVarieties of papaPotato priceInternational potato pricesPrice variation“We have lost almost everything. The fields are white as if it had snowed. Now we don’t know how to recover what little we had,” lamented Eulogio Quispe, a farmer from Lucasapata, who warned that the population depends strictly on its annual production, so this event represents a serious loss of capital.
A similar situation is occurring in Chungui. “The hail has burned our crops, and the agricultural insurance doesn’t cover even half of what we actually lose. We’re in debt, and we can’t go on like this,” said farmer María Huamani, who called for greater government support in the face of the recurring impact of extreme weather events.
Given this situation, Auberto Morote, president of the Ayacucho Departmental Agrarian Federation (FADA), reiterated his request to declare a state of emergency for regional agriculture. He pointed out that recent climate changes are deepening the economic crisis among rural families. “Small farmers are going bankrupt. There is no capacity for recovery without real support from the State,” he stated.
The municipalities of Acos, Vinchos, and Chungui reported that they are conducting a Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (DANA), the results of which will be submitted to SINPAD to activate the corresponding response mechanisms. Meanwhile, families continue to await immediate intervention to help them cope with the emergency.
The situation is further complicated by the alert issued by Senamhi, which warns that hailstorms and heavy rains will continue in the coming days, generating greater uncertainty in the most vulnerable agricultural areas.
Fuente: jornada.com.pe
