Roberto Luevano Silva, deputy of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) said that, thanks to the heat, "the chillies have suffered minimal damage, as only one thousand of the 35,000 hectares of chilli in the state have been affected."
"The delay in the rains has allowed crops, such as the chilli corp, to develop well," he said.
However, he said, heavy rains are expected in June and July, so chilli producers in the entity must prevent diseases resulting from moisture.
"Chilli crops require care. The rains usually damages them more than the heat, as the excess moisture generates fungal diseases," he added.
Luevano Silva said that so far there hadn't been enough moisture conditions to stress chilli crops.
"The temperature has not gone beyond 32 degrees in the period that goes from 13 to 14 hours and that temperature is temporary, so it causes minimal damage," the federal official said.
He then reiterated the importance of applying fungicides on chilli crops to avoid having problems in the rainy season.
"Strategic producers that have good productivity levels apply fungicides to protect their crops from the diseases generated by the excessive heat or humidity. It appears the rainy season begins this week, which is when producers begin to get ready," he said.
Source: NTR Zacatecas