The violence that plagues the Chiapas region has caused close to six thousand beneficiaries of the “Sembrando Vida” program to abandon the care of their fields, seriously affecting agricultural activities in the area.
Despite this situation, the beneficiaries continue to receive economic support from the program.
Jorge Aguilar, territorial coordinator of the “Sembrando Vida” program in the Sierra Mariscal, explained that agricultural activities have been paralyzed due to the violence prevailing in the region.
This has had a negative impact on around six thousand farmers in nine municipalities of Chiapas.
He pointed out that crop maintenance work has been suspended on 15,000 hectares in order to protect the safety of the farmers and their families. However, the beneficiaries of this program continue to receive monthly economic support of six thousand pesos.
The suspension of activities affects the municipalities of Motozintla, El Porvenir, La Grandeza, Siltepec, Mazapa de Madero, Bellavista, Amatenango de la Frontera, Bejucal de Ocampo and Honduras de la Sierra.
In addition to the abandonment of the fields, training, and meetings for the exchange of experiences among the beneficiaries of the federal program have been halted.
The stoppage of activities has also had a negative impact on the biofactories in the region, where organic fertilizers and microorganisms that are friendly to the soil, crops, and the environment are produced.
In addition, the operations of four organic markets that were held every 15 days in the highlands and that represented a monthly economic revenue of more than one million pesos have been halted.
The “Sembrando Vida” program is one of the four flagship programs of the Welfare Secretariat, which grants monthly support of six thousand pesos and inputs such as seeds and tools to senior citizens engaged in agriculture and who own up to 2.5 hectares of arable land.
In Chiapas, this program benefits 80,719 agricultural producers who work and cultivate 220,000 hectares.
Agricultural production includes a wide variety of products, from coffee and cocoa to fruits such as avocado, peach, lemon, soursop, and more. In addition, timber trees and spices are grown.
Although beneficiaries continue to receive economic support, violence in the region has forced some of them to move to other municipalities to collect their support, as many bank branches in their home communities remain closed due to insecurity.
The dispute between criminal groups for control of the Sierra region of Chiapas has intensified in recent months, generating vehicle burnings, road blockades, disappearances, and executions.
This has paralyzed social and economic life in the Sierra, leading to the dispatch of Mexican Army and National Guard elements to restore order in the area.
Despite a recent decrease in violence, many economic activities remain at a standstill in the region.
TYT Newsroom
