The lack of rain, not only over the last year, but
since 1993, has brought on a severe
drought in the northern Mexican stateof Chihuahua. The National Water Commission of
Mexico (CONAGUA) indicates the state of Chihuahua has received about seven millimeters of
rainfall through the beginning of June 1996. Rainfall for 1995 and 1994 was 255.8 mm and 200.7
mm respectively. This compares to 420 mm in 1991, before the drought started. (Approximately
25.4 mm = 1 inch or mm x .04 = inches).
Because of the lack of rain, water levels in state dams haven fall dangerously low.
State wide, resevoirs are at only 20 percent of
capacity as of May 26, 1996. Water levels stayed at 18
to 20 percent for 1995 and 1994. The water capacity of the state's dams stood at 97 percent in 1991.
Some dams are much lower than the state average of 20 percent. For example, the
Abraham Gonzalez dam on the Papigochi river is at only 4 percent of its capacity.
This has seriously decreased the total surface area of crops planted in the state. The
state average of hectares planted per year has averaged between 950,00 to 1,000,000 hectares since
1990 through 1995. (1 hectare = 10,000 square meters or about 2.477 acres.) Only 251,977 hectares
of land have been cultivated for the year as of May 24. In the farming district of Delicias,
Chihuahua, over 70,000 hectares of farm land has gone unused due to lack of water. 187,000 hectares of
land traditionally used for corn has gone uncultivated resulting in a rise in a price increase for corn
tortillas. The Chihuahua state office of the federal Agriculture and Forest Sector (SAGAR) also
estimates that the state has only 57,000 hectares of land suitable for planting beans and 85,000 hectares
suitable for planting oats due to the drought conditions. State wide agricultural production has been
between 3.4 to 4.3 million tons per year from 1990 to 1995. Production stands, as of May 24, at only
551,935 tons.
The combination of water and grain shortages has been a double blow to ranchers. Most
have been forced to slaughter and sell their cows for beef since the animals would die from starvation
and lack of water otherwise. Before the drought in 1990 and 1991, Chihuahua ranchers sent
about 100,000 head of cattle to slaughter each year. When the drought started in 1993 the number rose
to 249,641 and to 325,618 in 1994. As the herds diminished, the number of slaughtered cows
dropped to 236,783 in 1995. Only 85,981 head of cattle have been slaughtered as of April 30, 1996. At
this rate it is possible that another 40,000 head of cattle have been slaughtered by the first of July.
Indicating that total projections for this year will likely be similar to those of 1995.
The drought increased the risk of fire. The Forest Department indicates wildfires are
becoming an ever increasing problem. There were 222 fires in Chihuahua in 1992, burning 3,473
hectares of land. For 1993-95 there was an average of about 670 fires burning about 16,000 hectares of land.
Through May 19of this year 518 fires had already burned 27,170 hectares of land in Chihuahua.
Local and federal designated funds for drought victims. (All amounts are in new
Mexican pesos.) The private sector donated $10,666,160, the Chihuahua state government
appropriated $56,265,952 and the Mexican federal government, $106,299,433 for a total of $175,049,756.
This money will be spent on the following programs. "Combined Programs": $57,768,486;
"Income Support" (to keep farmers above the poverty line): $59,788,969; "Special Programs": $56,143,455;
"Project Working Together": $1,348,846.
A disaster relief fund established by the federal Agriculture and Forestry Department is
also contributing $506,081,300 to aid drought victims.
I discussed the relief money already appropriated and future plans with Hector
Gonzalez Mocken, a federal deputy in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. ( A deputy is the equivalent of a
representative in the U.S. Congress.) He is a member of the majority Institutional Revolutionary Party
(PRI), which has ruled Mexico since 1929.
Frontera: Norte/sur: "Do farmers in Mexico have crop insurance as in the U.S.?"
HGM: "Yes, they do."
FNS: " Is this through private insurance or through the government?"
HGM: "It is now a private insurance group. It used to be run by the federal government. It has
been privatized similar to crop insurance in the U.S.
Aseguranza Mexicana (ASEMEX) is a private
firm that took over the program from the federal government."
FNS: "How many Mexican farmers have this insurance in your estimation?"
At this point, Javier Rodriguiz, local Finance Secretary of the PRI, joins the conversation.
JR: "About 50 percent are able to afford the premiums."
FNS: "What about those who can't afford the premiums? Are they out of luck?"
JR: "The PRI is going to appropriate funds in the federal legislature to help subsidize these
farmers to they can afford the premiums. However, they can't buy insurance to cover the already
existing damages."
FNS: "What will some of this aid money be spent on? For example, what are
"Special/Work Programs?"
JR: "This money will be spent to build hospitals, schools and other infrastructure that will benefit
the farmers in the area."
Sources: SAGAR, CONAGUA, PRI, Jose Avila Cuc of the newspaper Norte.