North America Edition
Though there were no fatalities from the recent hurricane that hit Mexico and major coastal cities avoided much damage, many Mexican growers were affected. In the states of Jalisco and Michoacán, thousands of acres of crops were destroyed or flooded.According to the the Secretary of Rural Development for the state of Jalisco, over 20,000 acres were affected by Hurricane Patricia. Cihuatlán was the hardest hit region, where over 5,000 acres of banana fields were hit. Fortunate for mango growers in the area, harvesting had already wrapped up. In addition to damage to pepper and tomato fields, there was damage to roads and irrigation infrastructure, such as hydraulic equipment.
About 350 acres of papaya cultivation were also destroyed in the state of Jalisco, and in the Tuscacuesco region, almost 500 acres of limes were damaged. The financial cost of the hurricane to the agricultural industry is currently being evaluated.
