Constant rains in the area of Urabá, in the Colombian province of Antioquia, are causing persistent floods and overflows of the Atrato River. These floods have affected both urban and rural areas, as well as surrounding lands devoted to agricultural production. This province produces mainly bananas, plantains, cassava, rice and yam, crops which are recording damages due to the large amount of mud carried by the river and the excess water. "The harvest is almost completely lost and the lands could be left unusable for future plantings," report the regional authorities.
Engineer Iván Darío Pardo, of Coindex, a banana producer and exporter, tells us about the current situation. "The coastal area of the province is the most affected. We have 50,000 hectares of bananas at regional level, of which about 500 are completely flooded, with 100% of the production lost. The rains have not stopped so far, so there is still uncertainty about what will happen in the coming days."
While this time of the year is characterised by rainfall, its magnitude this year has taken banana producers by surprise. "Now we only need to carry out preventive maintenance of the drainage system on our farms, so that any excess water from rains can be removed. All in all, we remain optimistic for the next harvest in December, January and February, for which we have good prospects, although everything will depend on the weather," affirms the representative.
Moreover, with the lower production, there should be a better market balance, as the demand is currently falling. "The biggest loss we are recording is on the market. Globally, there is more supply of bananas than demand, mainly in Europe, which is our main destination; therefore, the economic impact of the losses caused by these floods will not be as great. We expect the rains to stop and expect demand to grow in the coming weeks," concludes Pardo.
