2013 has become a complicated year for melon producers of the Laguna region primarily due to a drop in production and the falling prices suffered during most of the season.
José Luis Huerta, National President of the Melon Product System noted that the price of the product had ranged from 1.70 to 5.00 pesos for a very short time, fell by the end of the season and is currently sold between 3.00 and 2.50 pesos.
The first rains in the Laguna Region this year led to the decline in production, while recent rainfall caused by hurricanes Manuel and Ingrid that caused the Aguanaval River to flood topped-off the production.
José Luis Huerta, said he doesn't know how many acres were affected by the recent flooding of the Aguanaval River as he was absent of La Laguna for fifteen days. The biggest damage, however, was at the Congregation Hidalgo in Matamoros since a large area of the late crops of melon that was still underway was affected.
Less than a month before the Technical Board of the National Water Commission meets to define the 2014 agricultural cycle, the President of the Melon Product System said he was confident that they would carry out a full cycle the next year since the dams in the upper basin gathered a great amount of water.
Source: oem