Agricultural sector grew 5.4% in the first five months of the year

From January to May, the agricultural sector experienced a growth of 5.4%, driven mainly by the production of the agricultural subsector, benefiting from improved weather conditions and greater availability of water resources, reported the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (Midagri).

This also represents, a notable improvement compared to the same period in 2023, when there was no rain. In summary, the progress of the agricultural sector alone was 8.5%, driven by crops such as barley grain from Puno, Huancavelica and Cusco (+238%); quinoa from Puno, Ayacucho and Apurímac (+181%), and dry broad beans from Puno, Cusco and Apurímac (+129%).

Also notable was the increased production of starchy corn crops (+81.3%), blueberries (+53.2%); potatoes (+30%); alfalfa (+14.6%); and paddy rice (+6%), among others.

In the livestock subsector, a slight decrease of 0.1% was observed due to lower chicken production.with a decrease of 0.8%, caused by a reduction in placements in La Libertad, Arequipa and Ica, as well as the low production of chicken eggs, which registered a fall of 1.3%, due to a decrease in the number of laying hens.

Meanwhile, pork production experienced an increase of 4.5%, while that of beef was 1.6%, driven by the higher harvest of these species.

César Santisteban, director of Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation of Midagri, explained for The Republic that This is a “rebound” after the water stress that occurred a year ago and its strong impact on crops in the southern mountains.

In any case, the expert warns of an atypical situation with the immediate appearance of La Niña after a mild El Niño phenomenon at the beginning of the year. For this reason, they are also evaluating the experience of 2022 to take preventive measures.

“It was normal to have a boy and then a girl after about four years, and vice versa, but now we have them one after the other. We are living in new conditions,” she revealed.