Bolivian poultry farmers affected by heatwave

The Bolivian poultry sector is in a state of emergency following a heat wave which has ravaged the poultry industry in the Santa Cruz area.

The Production Development Fund (PDF) has made available 49 million Bolivianos (US$ 7,091,359) to the poultry sector of Santa Cruz, affected by the heat wave. The only requirement is to submit a formal request, said Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Victor Hugo Vasquez.

According to the president of the Santa Cruz Association of Poultry (ADA), Rodolfo Tonellii, the purpose of the credit is to implement the HVAC system in the 800 houses in production that do not have ventilated areas. According to him, only 31% of the houses in production have the system.

Although the exact economic losses have yet to be calculated, the president of ADA said in a preliminary assessment, that at least 100,000 chickens were killed and another quantity of broilers were underweight.

He noted however, that the losses so far are not alarming; “But it is significant, considering that the summer season has just started, and precautions need to be taken to prevent this number doubling or tripling in the coming weeks.”

The Deputy Minister of Rural Development said the government is carrying out a series of assessments in drought-affected areas to meet the needs of the victims.