Uruguay: State of Emergency Over Severe Drought to Last 90 Days

Uruguay's Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fishing (MGAP) declared a state of emergency for 90 days in about 6.4 million hectares amid an intense drought that affects over 4.000 families.

RELATED:

Uruguay: Droughts Force a State of Agricultural Emergency

According to the authorities, the most affected areas are at the south and southeast of the country, including the departments of Artigas, Salto, Paysandú, Río Negro, Durazno, Tacuarembó, Maldonado, Rocha, Lavalleja, and Canelones.

The MGAP reported that there are 4 million livestock units in the region hardest-hit by the water shortage. Moreover, there were plans of use for about 600.000 hectares during Autumn-Winter and Spring-Summer, respectively.

The officials said that they are working alongside the National Institute of Meteorology and the National Institute for Agricultural Research to gather the latest data about the state of pasture, the percentage of available water in the soil, rainfall, and forecasts.

Meanwhile, the authorities have issued financial help throughout "credits with a rate subsidized by MGAP in alliance with República Microfinanzas." Also, "the beneficiaries may be family producers registered in the MGAP or those producers who, without entering the aforementioned category, have no more than 500 physical hectares," the MGAP announced.