Effects of the El Niño phenomenon on agriculture were reflected in productivity

Although to date the El Niño phenomenon has already been declared over, the truth is that even though there was no food shortage in the agricultural sector, The climatic event did hit but to the profitability and productivity of the line.

(Read: Minister of Agriculture presents plan to confront the La Niña phenomenon)

According to experts in this sector, El Niño not only affects droughts, but this situation was experienced in different parts of the country, but also delays the planting of crops which reduces the yields and quality of the harvested products.

And according to the figures of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in its latest bulletin on the effects of the climate event, The fish and aquaculture sector was one of the most disrupted with a total of 4.8 million specimen losses. Next is cattle with 627,875 and poultry with 182,685.

(Read more: ‘Sowing to reap’: agricultural sector, the most prominent in the economy)

It is worth detailing that the construction of these data, says the portfolio, is subject to verification, since it is preliminary information provided by the different Secretariats of Agriculture of 25 departments of the country to which a report of the impact is received and then the Ministry.

Now, entering into the detailed breakdown by sector, the rice producer showed some of the signs of challenge during the climate event. According to Rafael Hernández, general manager of Fedearroz, El Niño brought a negative impact on the productivity of the rice sector.

(See: ‘Agricultural insurance shows the impact that the El Niño phenomenon has had’)

This explainswas due to high temperatures and low rainfall that caused a reduction in crop yields, especially in irrigation districts where water scarcity limited the availability of rice crops.

“This fact delayed planting, generated economic losses and affected the total production of the sector in the first quarter of 2024.“Although it is important to highlight that the supply of rice has been adequate and prices have remained stable, so the losses to date have been assumed by the producers and the industry and not the final consumer,” said the manager. .

(Read: ABC of the reasons why the price of fertilizers continues to fall)

From another point of view, the livestock sector was also affected, especially in terms of profitability and productivity. According to Juan Gonzalo Botero, president of the Association of Livestock Exporters (Aexgan), The El Niño phenomenon generated difficulties due to the scarcity of forage, leading to a drop in the productivity of the sector, since the carrying capacity of the land was decreased.

“This situation leads farmers to sell their animals and consequently, as there is a greater supply, the price of livestock decreases.“Botero explained.

(See more: Coffee growers redouble their commitment to grow in the Chinese market)

Likewise, Jorge Bedoya, president of the Society of Farmers of Colombia (SAC), told this medium that El Niño hit the agricultural sector hard in March, fact that added to the loss of employment in the region, where, for example, “the price of Creole potatoes skyrocketed, as did that of tomatoes.”

El Niño hit the agricultural sector hard in March.

iStock

Although the aquaculture sector was one of those mentioned with great losses amid the climate phenomenon, the executive director of the Colombian Federation of Aquaculture Farmers (Fedeacua), Carlos Alberto Robles, told Portafolio that in conversation with the affiliated producers these They have no reports of any out-of-normal effects.

(Read more: FNC committees reaffirm their position regarding the risk of coffee purchase guarantee)

However, this agricultural sector Yes, it has had mortalities but due to a health situation of Streptococcus in tilapia, event that generated “large losses last year, which to this day have not been fully recovered,” he said.

“A reduction in productivity at this time could not be attributed particularly to the El Niño phenomenon, speaking of those represented by Fedeacua. Yes, it is possible that other small producers in other regions have been specifically affected by the phenomenon.“Robles noted.

(See also: More than 40% of rural lands in Colombia are large estates)

According to the director’s figures, Last year there was a reduction of about 4% or 4.5%, in relation to total production, comparing 2023 with 2022but, it occurred due to the effects of the health issue.

Another point of detail is the high temperatures, according to the director of Fedeacua, since the declaration of the climate phenomenon in the country, as a Federation it has been pending the level of the reservoirs, such as that of Betania, which did not suffer much damage.

(Read: Minagricultura activates Fonsa to alleviate debts of coffee producers)

However, El Guájaro in the north of the country had a great impact because the reduction of reservoir levels, the health situation and a large amount of fish mortality.

“We cannot say that there was a marked impact from the El Niño phenomenon, nor any type of mortality beyond normal, but what is certain is that we are still resolving the health issue in tilapia“, he claimed.

The agricultural sector was one of those that leveraged the growth of the Colombian economy during the first quarter.

iStock

The agricultural sector was one of those that leveraged the growth of the Colombian economy during the first quarter, showing GDP growth of 5.5%. However, for this line not everything is celebration, taking into account that despite the increases, there are some fundamental points for the profitability of the sector.

(Read: Education and agriculture, key sectors that will feel the decline in resources hard in 2025)

Andrés Valencia, former Minister of Agriculture, told Portafolio that one of the bases for finding profitability in agriculture is to reference the behavior of agricultural credit, taking into account that the data is relevant for the production of the first three months of the year, in this case.

Based on information from Finagro, agricultural credit during the second half of 2023 fell by 11%, registering greater declines in poultry farming (-24%), meat farming (-14%) and dairy farming (-9%).

(See: The Government’s idea to reduce high milk inventories and promote national purchases)

For this reason, the president of the SAC also assured that The success of the sector must be due to profitability, given by the costs of producing food and evaluating how good the market is.