Damage to Mexico Banana Crops Due to Hurricane Patricia Costs 4,000 Jobs Mexico News Daily
go to original November 11, 2015

Banana crops suffered in 2011, too. (alchilepoblano)

Hurricane Patricia is long gone but problems are only just beginning for thousands of seasonal banana workers in Cihuatlán, for whom it appears there will be no work for months as a result of the storm. And there are fears that the unemployment this creates will have severe social repercussions on the local community.

“Cihuatlán’s economy was based on the cultivation of bananas,” said former mayor Antonio Morán Araiza. “The 2,600 hectares of bananas ruined by the storm will not be replaced for seven months – the 4,000 people who depend on them for money are not going to have an income.”

Calling on the government to help by coming up with a plan to generate alternative employment, Morán Araiza warned that it will be necessary to prevent the social problems that will result from the lack of employment. Evidently, he said, there is government support but a strategy to strengthen employment opportunities is also necessary.

The Temporary Employment Program (PET) run by the Environment Secretariat could help with the economic problems caused by Hurricane Patricia, but because it only provides casual labouring jobs it will not be sufficient to tackle the serious job shortages that Morán Araiza is predicting.

Read the rest at Mexico News Daily

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