The production from Rio Colorado has received yet another blow after the recent heavy rains at the weekend, which exceeded 200 millimeters and destroyed 70 to 80 percent of the location's total vegetable production.
As a result of these losses, the region will lose millions in income.
Once again, the climate had no mercy on the production of Rio Colorado. The rains destroyed most of the region's pumpkin, onion, carrot, tomato, lettuce, chard, potato, corn, aubergine, chaucha, and parsley crops, among other products that were about to be collected.
The first data collected by "Rio Negro" on the tour of the cultivation areas showed that producers had completely lost all of the production that was under cover, and that they were hoping to recover some of their open air production.
Pilar Muñiz, an engineer of the Chamber of Producers of Rio Colorado River, started to explore the area early in the morning to survey and collect the numbers that may lead to the declaration of emergency for the sector.
"Losses are more than significant, so far we have found that some producers lost 100% of their production. Others may recover a percentage, as they had already harvested some vegetables, like onions, but the production of leafy vegetables was destroyed by the storm," she said.
Rio Colorado is estimated to have more than 500 hectares of onion production, nearly 80% of which was lost. Producers hoped that they could recover some of the vegetables that had already been harvested in the highest areas, where water was drained faster.
The affidavit forms of the Ministry of Production of the Province, which will be used to formalize and quantify the losses in this area, which will directly affect the economy of the whole region, are expected to arrive to region in the coming hours.
The region had already been affected by frost, hail, and fire.
"We are studying and analyzing all the information that producers are giving us to send it to the provincial government so that they can issue an emergency for the area to alleviate the situation of the productive sector," Muniz said.
Rain also affected, to a lesser extent, the fruit growers who were in the last stage of the Granny Smith and Red Delicious apple harvest. The rain affected some of the fruit that was still on the plants and damaged some harvested fruit in bins.
