Mexico City: According to official data and producers, sugarcane production in Mexico is likely to remain lower by 10 per cent due to a month-long drought and lack of adequate fertilization, reports Reuters.
The initial forecast was that the 2022-23 sugar harvest would yield 6.026 million tonnes but it is now expected to be around 5.43 million tonnes, as per the national sugar committee Conadesuca.
The official data states that the farmers produced 6.185 million tonnes of sweetener during the last season.
The initial estimates considered a plantation of an additional 30,000 hectares, said Carlos Blackaller, leader of the country’s largest sugarcane farmer’s organization.
Since October 2022, the entire country has been dry, until this April which has led to the shrinking of the planting area, he said.
Nearly half the country was facing moderate to severe drought conditions at the end of March, as per the National Water Agency Conagua.
