MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan agricultural emergency extended until when?

The problem of water deficit started “quite some time ago,” Mattos pointed out

Uruguayan authorities Thursday announced the current declaration of agricultural emergency will be extended until September from April 24.

According to Agriculture Minister Fernando Mattos, the declaration of agricultural emergency nationwide will be extended for 150 days from April 24, for livestock, dairy, horticulture, fruit, agriculture, beekeeping, poultry, and forestry.

Mattos said that the decision was taken as a result of the reports of the services of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) and the Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology (Inumet), regarding the state of the weather situation due to the effects of the drought.

The declaration of agricultural emergency came into effect in October last year, and the problem of water deficit had started “quite some time ago”, the minister pointed out.

Despite the rains in March causing relief, April is expected to be deficient in terms of rainfall. “These are reliefs that do not solve the problem, there is not enough time for crops or pastures to recover,” Mattos said. He added that the great support of production is the natural field, for which there will be no recovery time.

Mattos thus explained that he hoped to have a clearer picture by spring.

Meanwhile, Inumet reported Thursday that March 2023 was the hottest such month in the last 42 years and that rainfall would be “normal” after several months of precipitation deficit.

The average temperature in March was above normal nationwide, the highest records were in the north and west coast and the lowest in the southeast of the country; temperatures ranged between 23.6 °C and 26.5°C, with a country average value of 25.1 °C, it was reported.

Regarding rainfall, March had normal behavior in terms of accumulated rainfall and the number of days with rainfall greater than or equal to 1 millimeter (mm), after several months of water deficits (meteorological drought).

However, the drought continues due to the fact that the water deficit in the country has accumulated for three years.