Bean farmers are losing up to 50% of their production. The National Meteorological Institute (IMN) reported that it is not raining as they thought and this causes strong impacts on the production and food security of many families. This could be part of the well-known phenomenon El Niño.
What is El Niño? The unusual warming of the waters of the Pacific Ocean in the equatorial fringe of the planet. This causes considerable changes in the sea and in the atmosphere, together with other factors specific to the climate of each zone, which causes effects of drought or heavy rains.
It is a complicated circle, when we have a period of drought caused by El Niño. This is a problem because bean seeds do not germinate and those that manage to do so do not develop well, since the first 45 days are vital for the development of bean formation in the pod,”
explained Mauricio Corrales, purchasing manager of Frijoles Don Pedro.
The area of Los Chiles has been the most affected by this situation; in this town there are farms where not a single plant germinated, meaning this a total loss.
Corrales also mentioned that beans are the most used legume at the time of cooking, exactly 3,800 metric tons per month, because it is an important source of protein, fiber and other nutrients.
However, its consumption in Costa Rica has decreased considerably. Years ago, Ticos consumed on average, 50 grams of beans per day, but currently, its consumption is around 25 grams.