A man complains to the supervisor of the fruit and vegetable area of a supermarket in the Valle neighborhood of Mexico City, since they have been there three times, in the last 14 days, that he has not been able to get cilantro. “He’s not coming,” the employee apologizes to the buyer. At a taco stand inside the Martínez de la Torre market, in the city neighborhood of Guerrero, a woman asks that her tres de suadero be “only with greens, without onions.” To which the taquero excuses himself: “Excuse me, boss. I only have the mixed vegetables. Cilantro is very expensive.” The same in the Moctezuma market, in the Venustiano Carranza neighborhood. A vegetable seller tells her buyer that the bunch she is showing him, somewhat withered and yellowed, is all she has and that if she wants it, it will cost her 90 pesos, because she “is barely arriving.”
In the capital, in the State of Mexico and other regions such as Puebla and Hidalgo, in the last month there has been an increase in the price and shortage of cilantro, one of the most used ingredients in Mexican gastronomy, due to factors such as hail, drought and the high temperatures to which the country has been subjected due to the heat waves recorded in recent weeks.
In the last 30 days, the production of this herb from Puebla territory that is sold at the Central de Abasto in Iztapalapa, in Mexico City, has increased the usual price of a 5-kilogram bunch from 130 to 450 pesos, according to data from the Market Information and Integration System (SNIIM) of the Ministry of Economy. In the Ecatepec and Toluca supply markets, the same amount of product rose from 130 to 320 and 350 pesos. The price per kilogram, which had an average cost of 19 pesos in April, rose to 89 this month.
Puebla occupies the first national place in the production of cilantro, with more than 47,000 tons per year, which marks a market share of more than 40%. Other large producing states are Baja California, with 18,000 tons, followed by Aguascalientes and Sonora, each with a little more than 10,000 tons of production.
One of the triggering factors for the shortage, mainly in Puebla, was the rains with hail that occurred at the end of April and May, which according to information from the Ministry of Rural Development, affected more than 200 hectares in crops of corn, miahuteco chili, green beans and broccoli, in addition to cilantro, with preliminary estimates of up to 60% damage to the crops, according to representatives of the National Peasant Confederation of the State.
“There is a shortage because that harvest was spoiled. However, its advantage is that it has a growth period of two months and in that time we will be recovering previous levels. Although there are some producers who now prefer to wait for the rains to regularize before planting again,” explains Carlos Mateos, general coordinator of the NGO. For Our Field.
In other producing regions such as Hidalgo, where a three-kilogram bundle ranged between 50 and 80 pesos, it is now sold at the Pachuca supply center for 130 pesos. This is due to the drought, which is at extreme to exceptional levels, which impacts widespread losses of crops or pastures, causing exceptional risk of fires due to the total scarcity of water in reservoirs, streams and wells. “An emergency situation is likely due to the absence of water,” explains the Mexico Drought Monitor (MSM) report published on June 5.
In Puebla the situation is less serious, but not encouraging, since the intensity of the drought ranges from moderate to severe, according to the same MSM document. “The totally atypical heat and drought that we have been suffering not only this year, but the last three, has been very intense for cilantro production. Although a large part of the producers have a well water irrigation system, in any case, with this heat the leaves and stems turn yellow or cannot withstand transportation to the supply centers. Given the lack of water and resources, in Puebla they have chosen not to plant. So there is less crop area and less production until the rains come,” says Mateos.
Where cilantro prices have tripled in the last month is in Nuevo León. In the Estrella de San Nicolás de los Garza supply market, the five-kilogram box that comes from the same State went from costing 160 to 600 pesos. While the harvest from Puebla, which cost 220, increased to 850 or 900 pesos. In the northern region, moderate to severe drought intensity prevails and a condition classified as “abnormally dry,” according to the MSM document.
“It occurs at the beginning or end of a period of drought. At the beginning of a drought period, due to short-term dryness, it can cause delayed planting of annual crops, limited growth of crops or pastures, and there is a risk of fires. When it occurs at the end of the drought period, water deficit may persist and crops may not fully recover,” specifies the classification of drought intensity according to the North American Drought Monitor.
However, despite the shortage and increase in price of this product, Mateos does not classify the situation as an emergency due to the above. “It is a temporary issue and derived from exceptional circumstances,” he says. However, he emphasizes that climate change is a factor to take into account and that it should be evaluated and considered by the new Administration that will take office in September. He affirms that there has been dialogue with both producers and organizations and the National Agricultural Council itself to address one of the biggest concerns of the coming years, which is water management.
“What we are requesting is that the investment in water infrastructure be at least doubled, because it is not just about building dams or pipelines. We also need to help small and medium-sized producers who have not had access to irrigation technology to use it. Because? Because a lot of water is lost with traditional irrigation, which is called stolen water, that you just open the valve, let each channel flood and a lot is wasted there. It is a very complex issue that undoubtedly does not have an immediate solution, but we believe that we must start working now. We cannot turn the matter any further,” concludes the general coordinator of Por Nuestro Campo.
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