Rice Farmers Affected by Flooding

Another industry that is taking a hit due to the weather is the rice industry. According Jose Abelardo Mai rice farmers in Orange Walk South are in distress as they expect to lose their rice farms. Mai says that farmers in Blue Creek, who recently planted expected to lose all of their investments due to rising flood waters.

Jose Abelardo Mai, Area Representative, Orange Walk South

“So farmers prepared land in February and now they planted in May. Unfortunately, those who planted the waters are rising. It is fairly above more than ten inches above the planted field. So more than likely that field will be lost which was planted just a couple of days ago. That will be lost. There was also rice that needed to harvested just about now, that rice too water is rising. So there is a strong possibility that if it is not lost yet there is a strong possibility that that will be lost. So that is the area of Blue Creek where rice production is very healthy. There are not much rice farmers in Blue Creek now you know. They have dwindled tremendously. I think the number of producers in Blue Creek is about five producers. It went down from fifteen or twenty to five producers.”