84,000 hectares of crops were flooded and 67,000 kilos of trout and tilapia, 24,000 hens and about 7,000 tons of sugar were lost because of tropical storm Nate.
The impact of the climate phenomenon was felt in most agricultural activities in the country, and although shortages are not foreseen in sectors such as rice and sugar, in others supply could be affected in the coming months.
TheServicio Nacional de Salud Animal (Senasa) r- Animal Health Service – reported 27,289 dead and disappeared animals and 322 honey hives lost in the Central Pacific and Chorotega. In the poultry sector, where 23,500 chickens were lost, “… The greatest impact on this species used to produce eggs occurred in the southern part of the country, where the floods even destroyed an entire farm.”
In the case of rice, “…The total verified losses amount to 2,401 hectares in three areas affected by the floods … Of that total, 2,040 hectares were totally lost in the Chorotega region, Guanacaste, 228 hectares in the Brunca region and 133 hectares in the Central Pacific region, said Fernando Araya, executive director of Conarroz.”
Nacion.com reports that “…Although the impact on rice is believed to be serious, Araya reiterated assurances that the stockpiled food reserves and the declaration of shortages already made by the country to import the grain will guarantee supply of this product.”