<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;line-height:130%"> Mexico</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By Eric Anderson<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">3.28.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>At least 4,500 hectares of vegetables were damaged by frost in Puebla and Hidalgo, causing consumer prices to jump by over 100% in a mere two weeks, according to ElFinanciero.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Alejandro Vera Sanchez, Director of the Agrointegrative Producers and Packers of the Valle de Puebla, said that at least 60% of tomatillo and zucchini production has been damaged in the area, resulting in losses over 70 million pesos.<img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/pesos.jpg" alt="IMAGES 03272013 " /> The market is expected to feel the resulting high prices for at least a month, at which time production is expected to recover. The state is the second largest producer of zucchini in Mexico and the fourth largest tomatillo producer.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"It is affecting both production for domestic consumption and export, mainly to the U.S. and Canada, taking into account that the autumn-winter is the period of highest production.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Growers don’t expect to receive help from Mexican authorities, thus, the situation presents a huge economic challenge for the majority of growers. To replant fields, growers may have to invest as much as 35,000 pesos per hectare.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://elfinanciero.com.mx/component/content/article/44-economia/9240-las-heladas-danaron-4500-hectareas-de-hortalizas.html" target="_new">Mexican Frost Update</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
