14 Communes in Chile's Maule Region Declared Agricultural Emergency

According to the Ministry's technical assessments, which underpinned the decision, the weather events caused damage to different products and production activities in the region. Production losses, crop quality damage, flooding of lands and delays in agricultural operations were identified, particularly in fruit and agricultural sectors. Extreme humidity is said to pose a risk to plant health.

Agriculture Minister Jaime Campos said he visited Talca to assess the extent of the damage and that the Colín area in the Maule commune is one of the most affected regions. Campos noted that changing climate conditions have forced producers to adapt their technical and agricultural practices to new conditions, linking this to global warming and the El Niño phenomenon.

The emergency declaration will enable the use of support tools for producers engaged in silvotarim activities and for the affected rural population in the covered communes. However, the measures to be implemented will depend on the procedures and targeting criteria of the competent authority, the existing legislation, and the available budget. INDAP teams also examined the damage to outdoor vegetables and plastic-covered tomato production in the Maule commune. It was reported that some peppers and tomatoes could not be salvaged, as hail and water weight collapsed the greenhouses and fell directly onto the crops.