El Salvador faces potential agricultural production shortfall, warns producers' association

Luis Treminio, president of the Cámara Salvadoreña de Pequeños y Medianos Productores Agropecuarios (CAMPO), warned that the current agricultural cycle could fall short of national demand. Producers have secured up to 12 million quintals of maize and 1 million quintals of beans, but World Bank data show 2023 maize consumption reached 22 million quintals, suggesting a possible deficit of up to 10 million quintals. CAMPO projects consumption around 18 million quintals, still above the expected production. Treminio criticized discrepancies in the numbers, noting that “masking data does not solve the problem.” He also highlighted the impact of El Niño and an upcoming drought, which have already affected parts of the country and may force a shift in the planting calendar to April to mitigate further loss.