La Niña, the weather phenomenon characterized by the drop in temperature on the surface of the sea, would impact the Peruvian regions in different ways. The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (Minagri) said this weather event would exacerbate drought and loss of crops in the highlands, but that it would benefit coastal agriculture.
According to Marco Vinelli Ruiz, executive director of the Rural Agricultural Development (Agro Rural), La Niña would directly benefit asparagus, grape, and avocado crops, among others, because they need a greater amount of cold hours during their maturation processes. The performance of most of these crops experienced a decline in recent years due to the rising temperatures on the coast. The performance of the mango, which needs a certain level of cold to flower, also experienced a 20% drop during the 2015-16 campaign compared to past years.
Even though the Interdepartmental Committee of the National Study of El Niño (ENFEN) hasn't announced it officially, the Minister of Agriculture expects La Niña will arrive on the Peruvian coast in September.
Unlike El Nino, La Nina occurs when the sea surface decreases between 1 and 2 degrees Celsius from its average 17 ° C and 18 ° C temperature.
Source: elcomercio.pe