The heat and the strong sun are damaging the melons and watermelons. This year's harvest was very small, nearly 80% of what was cultivated rotted, said Marcelo Gauto, a producer from Cambyreta.
"The watermelons burst, sometimes because they are ripe and other times because the sun is too strong and cracks them. The round ones burst the most," said Marcelo.
Producers were only able to save a few watermelons this season. "If the plant cracks, the pests enter it and it rots. It hasn't stopped raining; there will be no cucumbers and melons this season. Nothing endures this climate," he said.
The repeated rains cause the attack of insects and the spread of diseases in crops. According to the producer, they've lost all the lettuce, spinach, and onions that were planted.
He stated that there were practically no melons, and that, thanks to their care, they had been able to salvage very few locotes, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
He said they had lost a lot of production because of the excess water and high temperatures that made everything rot.
The best producers of watermelons in the region, in Paso Güembé, district of Trinidad, have also been affected by the weather. "They say it will keep raining until March," people in the area say. Producers are trying to decide what to do with their crops, but the truth is they really don't know, he said.
Moreover, the head of the Committee of Producers of Paso Güembé, Victor Leiva, said the producers had been able to harvest watermelons, but with a great effort and in smaller numbers than in previous years.
He said that even the vegetables produced in greenhouses or partial shade nets were rotting, and that even in the best scenario the harvests achieved had a lower quality and productivity than usual.
The cassava was also affected
The new cassava also started developing moisture spots, and leafy vegetables didn't develop correctly.
In this regard, Pedro Kalpe, from Barrero Guazú, Cambyretá, said the cassava had been the most affected category because the excess water in the soil affected the tuber's roots, its edible part.
In turn, Mary Klimchuk, a producer from Capitan Miranda, said the situation was especially complicated for small growers. "It's hard to plant, lose everything and replant," she said. In greenhouses, producers are fighting on a daily basis to save their vegetables. The lettuce is the most frail crop and it is currently scarce in the supermarkets at Encarnación. "The outlook is bleak for all crops," he said.
Poor road conditions
Additional to the weather, producers have been affected by the poor road conditions that prevent them from sending the few crops they manage to salvage to the marketing centers.
The producers affected in this part of the country urgently need the authorities to come to their aid.
It's worth noting that several peasant organizations requested through the press that the authorities implement measures to remedy the situation caused by the weather on agricultural production.
Source: abc.com.py