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Description of the Event
What happened, where and when?
The lack of rainfall recorded since September 2022 has caused a significant reduction in the availability and access to water in the country, which in turn has been affected by the presence of the La Niña phenomenon in the region and the increase in temperatures within the summer seasons. In October 2022, the national government, through the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries (MGAP by its initials in Spanish) declared a state of agricultural emergency for a period of 90 days for the entire country. In January 2023, the state of emergency was extended until the end of April and extended to livestock, dairy, fruit and/or horticulture, agriculture, poultry, beekeeping and forestry.
On 20 January, the Uruguayan State, through the National Emergency System (SINAE by its initials in Spanish), extended a formal request to the Uruguayan Red Cross to provide support with damage and needs assessments of the current drought situation that is affecting the country and possible response to the consequences of this event.
The drought emergency continue affecting the entire country, with the most affected departments being Tacuarembó, Cerro Largo, Florida, Lavalleja and San José. As per information provided by the SINAE, and corroborated with the results of the assessments conducted by the URC, the most complex situation is related to the lack of access to safe water which limits the consumption and use of water, as well as maintenance of crops and livestock of approximately 20,000 people throughout the country.
According to information released by the National Meteorological Institute (INUMET by its initials in Spanish), during the summer season (December, January and February) the average rainfall was 126.4 mm, 225.4 mm below the average value for the reference period. The current summer has been the driest in the last 42 years on record, which explains why the entire country is currently affected by droughts, with 20.51% of the territory, equivalent to 3,623,300 hectares, being under extreme drought (1).
Similarly, for the months of March to June, INUMET forecasted the accumulated precipitation in the northern region of the country to be below normal, while for the rest of the territory, climatological terciles are expected. Specifically, for the northern region, there is a 40% probability in the lower tercile and 30% in the middle and upper terciles, while for the rest of the country, 33% is assigned to all three terciles (2)
Different key actors have made statements and continue disseminating information about the impact of the drought. At the end of February, the Rural Association of Uruguay (ARU) assured that the losses in soybean and corn crops are irrecoverable and will affect the production even until 2026. From the association, they affirm that the affectations with more impacts are related to livestock services, which translates into fewer births that will generate a great impact on the availability of animal food (slaughter) at least until 2025 and 2026.
The President of the Republic stated that the situation is complex and although in some specific areas it rained, the consequences and losses in production, in the economy, in work and in the income of the country will not be recovered. In fact, as a result of the lack of rain, the prices of tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers and watermelon have increased by 40%, while the price of other fruits and vegetables suffered an average increase of 10%. During 2022, the prices of the basket of fruits and vegetables remained between 30 and 45 pesos per kilo, currently reaching almost 55 uruguayan pesos per kilo.
Sources:
(1) Climate Trends INUMET: https://www.inumet.gub.uy/clima/tendencias-climaticas/tendencias-climaticas-febrero-marzo-abril-2023
(2) Climate Trends INUMET: https://www.inumet.gub.uy/clima/tendencias-climaticas/tendencias-climaticas-marzo-abril-mayo-2023