El Salvador - GFDRR

II. POPULATION AND AFFECTED AREAS | 35
Crop
Area scheduled
for production
(hectares)
TABLE 11 (Conclusion)
Land area
(hectares)
Affected area
Percentage with
respect to total
Fruits 3,164.0 20.3 0.6
Banana 3,080.0 14.0 0.5
Guava 84.0 6.3 7.5
Others 2,100.0 29.4 1.4
Sesame 2,100.0 24.5 1.2
Nurseries - 4.9 -
Total 705,376.0 35,712.3 5.1
Source: CEPAL, based on Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), General Bureau of Agricultural and Livestock Economics (DGEA),
National Center for Agricultural, Livestock and Forest Technology (CENTA), Salvadoran Foundation for Coffee Research (PROCAFÉ) and
Salvadoran Sugar Industry Council (CONSAA).
Domestic availability will have no repercussions on the food security of peasant families, nor will it
have a negative impact on the balance of payments due to increased imports. It should be stated, however,
that the volume of foreign purchases had increased since 2006.
Rice production also experienced losses due to flattening of plants, because of which the rice was
swept away by the current. The affected area totaled only 197.4 hectares, representing only 4.5% of the
planted area, and production totals 1,400 tons. The most affected departments were Chalatenango, La
Libertad and La Paz. With respect to sorghum, losses to crop area and production were minimal.
Anticipated production of coffee in 2008 decreased by 3.4%; this also created fewer jobs. This reduction
was due to: i) negative bi-annual crop performance; ii) severe defoliation of coffee trees which
interrupted physiological activity in the phase of flower bud preparation; iii) strong winds and low temperatures
that occurred in early 2008 and mainly affected farms located in the western region and the
upper part of the central zone; and iv) strong rainfall recorded in September and October throughout the
country. 22
Coffee production in 2009 was affected by the intense rains that struck several of the country’s
departments with greater force. Landslides totally damaged 223 hectares which collapsed due to oversaturation
of the soil in the Departments of San Vicente, Usulután, Cuscatlán, San Salvador and La Paz,
also implying environmental damage. In addition, infrastructure experienced deterioration in 142 kms of
internal and external access roads to farms, which could have been an obstacle to removing over 12,000
tons of coffee beans that are expected to be harvested. 23
22
See: MAG, Status Report, op. cit.
23
See: Salvadoran Foundation for Coffee Research (PROCAFÉ), Survey of damages caused by Hurricane Ida in coffeeproducing
zones, Santa Tecla, November 2009.