Drought wreaks havoc across Uruguay

Persistent hot weather linked to the current La Nina pattern has raised the specter of drought in Uruguay, and fears of long-term damage to the farming sector and a shortage of drinking water.

Agustin Damboriarena, manager at the Uruguayan Chamber of Seeds, in the capital Montevideo, said the 2022-23 summer in the country has been difficult for the farm sector.

"It has been a bad year, an awfully bad year, because soybean, corn, seed, sunflower, and forage crops have been lost. In every sense, we have lost," he said, adding that soy producers estimate a loss worth $800 million to $1 billion.