The citrus production in Tamaulipas has fallen by up to 50 percent over the last four crop cycles due to the impact of climate change, reported the president of the Regional Union of Citrus Growers "Emiliano Zapata", attached to the National Peasant Confederation (CNC), Javier Ibarra Echartea.
He recalled that, five years ago, the orange production was greater than 600,000 tonnes per year, while today is only amounts to fewer than 400,000 tonnes, including other citrus fruits.
Climate change, he said, is a reality in Tamaulipas, with young trees yielding a lower production than in previous seasons with the same acreage.
Ibarra Echartea said that thus is the main reason for the lower harvest, which will not exceed 400,000 tonnes; something which he considered unfortunate for his colleagues.
In addition to the high temperatures and drought, producers are also facing the threat of a plague known as "Yellow Dragon Disease", whose presence in the state could eventually put an end to this activity.
In this regard, he acknowledged the efforts of the State Government to implement an inspection program for all plants and fruits transported across the roads of Tamaulipas in order to detect the presence of the bacteria.
One of the immediate measures, he noted, is the destruction of lemon grass; ornamental plants that are widely used in homes, but which can easily host the bacteria and are now subject to fumigation or destruction.
