The unusual drought that hit Chiapas’ agricultural sector in 2026 has resulted in total production losses in at least seven municipalities.
Venustiano Carranza, Suchiate, Tapachula, Mazatán, Tuxtla Chico, Metapa and Frontera Hidalgo have approximately 11,000 affected producers whose crops include corn, sorghum, cacao and coffee.
Producers say they have not experienced a drought like this in more than 20 years, as they have gone between 40 and 60 days without rainfall, causing crops to dry out. This was explained by Luis Manuel Suchiapa Vleeschower, from the Flores Magón community in Carranza.
“Lately, the drought has practically destroyed all of our crops. The corn we grow has affected all of us ejidatarios in this community tremendously. Right now, we are in an emergency situation because of the lack of rainwater. I think we have already gone almost 60 days without any kind of rain,” he said.
In the Frailesca region, the situation is similar. There, the lack of rainfall threatens up to 40% of corn crops.
Amir Cambrano Arroyo, ejido commissioner of Villacorzo, said they are facing an uncertain situation due to the possibility of losing part of the upcoming harvest.
“The entire Frailesca region is experiencing this drought, which is affecting our corn crops. We hope that there will be rainfall so that we can reactivate the land, but right now we are perhaps losing 40% of our crops throughout the Frailesca region,” he confirmed.
Producers are desperate because they depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, which is why they are calling on the government to help them, said José Vicente Naga Suárez, ejido commissioner of Flores Magón.
“It has not rained for 40 days in every sense, and this is affecting the entire community, and not only Flores Magón, but also the neighboring communities. This is an emergency. We already need government support because it is a total loss,” he emphasized.
Governor Eduardo Ramírez Aguilar announced this Wednesday that for 2026, an Agricultural Insurance policy was contracted, providing coverage for corn, sorghum, cacao and coffee crops.
Affected producers must go to their Municipal Government so they can be included in the registry, together with information about their properties and ranches. This information will be sent to the Secretariat of the Countryside for verification and subsequent processing of the insurance policy.
The governor said that this procedure is intended to ensure that assistance reaches affected producers in each municipality in an equitable and transparent manner.
Source: mvsnoticias
