by Steven Nyland, OrganicCrops. Posted on 2 February 2016, 17:38 hrs
The Puno 2015-2016 farming season, unlike last year, will be one of the hardest hit as a result of El Niño. Four months after the harvest season, processes outbreak of products have been adversely affected by the "Indian summer", a weather event of lack of rain and dry, according to the latest report of the Office of the Regional Agricultural Information Management Agriculture Puno (Drap).
This situation has affected 73% of cultivated potatoes, which amounts to 42 thousand 486 hectares of planted 58 thousand 376 to date throughout the highlands. The situation is almost similar in the production of quinoa. Across the region 36 000 430 hectares were planted and 832 were damaged 23,000 hectares, equivalent to 65%.
"The damage is all Andean crops. No culture that has not been hit, "said William Morales Caceres, regional director of Agriculture Puno.
The Regional Federation of Peasants of Puno said through a statement that in seven of the thirteen provinces harvest will suffer a loss of 45% by problems such as the lack of rain, hail and frost in some areas.
"The problem is the dramatic change in climate. There may be excessive heat, but at dawn frosts. That hurts production, "said Donato Flores, secretary of the guild Azángaro base.
The hours of sunshine has generated ultraviolet radiation levels increase. In the case of the plateau, bordering between peaks 16 and 17, ends indexes. The most exposed are those who live in the higher areas of the region.
Source: La Republica