The heat wave that Mexico suffered in the summer of this year generated a severe drought that today continues to affect the national agricultural sector, especially livestock, since only in Jalisco, an entity that occupies first place in the country in meat production. pork and milk, and second in beef, 30,000 head of cattle have been lost, generating losses of more than 500 million pesos.
“The drought has affected us greatly (…) and as in other economic sectors, There is no federal support plan for this sector in the country, and there is no policy to mitigate the drought either,” he laments. Adalberto Velasco Antillón, president of the Livestock Union of the state of Jalisco.
In interview with HIGH LEVEL, The rancher argues that, in the absence of support from the federal government, producers have assumed their losses not only in the livestock sector, since agriculture also suffers from the drought.
“We are talking about both livestock and agriculture, I was simply stating that, if we are talking about 30,000 heads of livestock that died, well we are already talking about 500 million pesos, and then – if you also take the crops that were not achieved – It is a loss for the producer, and thus many more millions of pesos are added,” he says.
The ranchers of Jalisco, where 54% of Mexican eggs are also produced, have only been supported by the government of that entity, which is why local authorities, as well as ranchers and agricultural producers, carry out an evaluation of the economic damage caused by the drought. , in order to program aid to the sector for 2024.
“With the data that the (state) government has also been collecting, the truth is We are going to be scared, because it is not going to be 500 million pesos, it is going to be several more, perhaps already billions of pesos” lost due to this meager storm, Velasco Antillón advances.
According to the Drought Monitor in Mexico, an index prepared by the National Meteorological Service (SMN) and the National Water Commission (Conagua), the states that until October 15 maintained an extreme drought are, in addition to Jalisco, Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Michoacán, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora and Zacatecas.
Additionally, there is an exceptional drought, much more serious than the extreme one, in municipalities in the states of Durango, San Luis Potosí and Querétaro.
Immediate consequences
The death of at least 30 thousand head of livestock, together with the drought that affects the fields that produce feed for cows, pigs, chicken and sheep, will have a negative economic effect on the food market throughout the country.
“The biggest problem is going to be in the speculation that can be made in the value of food,” because the farmers are desperate and, for example, agree to sell the milk and their livestock at a low price, which encourages “the the other links in the chain are taking advantage” of the losses that this sector already has.
Thus, in the coming months, intermediaries and retailers “are going to say: you know what? Meat is more expensive, milk is more expensive, due to the drought, but the producer is paid cheaper, so for them their profit margin is going to be higher,” details Adalberto Velasco Antillón.
“The desperate rancher says, you know what, three, four thousand animals have already died, I don’t have food, I don’t have water, (…) so I better sell it cheaper”, which – obviously – implies a double loss for the producer. , since this has already seen its business diminished with the deaths of livestock caused by the drought, while what will be obtained with the heads that survived will be less.
Biggest crisis for 2024
Due to the importance of Jalisco in the livestock sector, Velasco Antillón warns that next year more support will be required, which is why he calls on the president’s government Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
“Let them help us jump next year, I don’t know, six, seven, eight months they’re going to be chaoticbecause we are going to arrive in the rural sector with a crisis, and especially the livestock sector, (which will consist of) not having water, not having forage for the livestock, that is what is afflicting us, how are we going to face “What’s next on the subject of food?” asks the president of the Jalisco Livestock Union.
Forage and grains, which are used to fatten the cattle and pigs that ultimately reach our tables, are extremely important for this sector, since Mexican ranchers also plant crops to feed their livestock, and those crops, mainly corn and sorghum, are also affected by the drought.
One of the solutions to this last problem could be for livestock farmers to work, in coordination with some companies, to “make protein and energy feed” for livestock.
It is about “making a food that contains protein of plant origin and animal origin”, with very precise technical specifications, in order to complement the animals’ diet. But to make this alternative a reality, support and incentives from the federal government are needed, the rancher insists.
“Mexico is among the 15 countries that produce the most food in the world, Mexico is among the 10 countries that produce the most protein of animal origin, and today it is the second exporter of beef to the United States, so if Mexico has that potential, Where are you, federal government, to help producers?” emphasizes.
The ranchers do not want handouts, Adalberto Velasco clarifies, but rather aid “to produce with technology, we cannot continue producing – as someone there said – with a team of oxen, there is a lot of technology to produce in the field,” he stated.
According to the Climate Report in Mexico, prepared by the SMN and Conagua, as of June 30, 2023, 41.5% of the country had a moderate to extreme drought, which implied an increase of 8.45% compared to the drought recorded in one month. before. The region most affected by drought, the report adds, is the central-west of the country, with 93% of its territory experiencing moderate to extreme drought.
There are several factors that cause droughts, highlighting climate change, deforestation, water overexploitation and population growth.
Despite these climatic conditions, in addition to occupying the first places in production of milk, eggs, pork and beef, Jalisco remains the first producer of poultry meat, if the figures for broiler chicken and chicken are combined. of posture.
The land of tequila is also the main producer of the Pelifolk breed of sheep, and is in third place in terms of production of sheep that are used throughout the country to prepare the traditional birria, while this state is the third bee honey producer.
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Surya Palacios Journalist and lawyer, specialist in legal and human rights analysis. She has been a reporter, radio host and editor.