Over 40,000 Paraguayans have been forced to evacuate their homes so far due to rising waters. Torrential rains continue to swell rivers and cause floods. More than 11,000 people have been evacuate in the capital of Asuncion since May 4, 2019 and Paraguay declared a state of emergency in the province along the border with Argentina.

At the farm, which is located in the South of the country (330 Km from Asuncion and 100 Km from Encarnacion), we are also suffering from the heavy rains and facing floods in some area. Between May 5 and May 6, we have registered 335 mm of rain. Soils are completely saturated with water.

As a direct consequence, the access from the main road to the farm is impossible and we had to post pound rice delivery to our clients as trucks cannot enter or exit from farm. Channels and fields have to be drained again (they should be empty currently to perform maintenance). Internal roads are also affected as well as the main water pump station (the pumps are removable via a lifting system and electrical system are on the upper floor).

Ongoing activities are all delayed as long as water drains off. However, no serious material damage has to be reported so far (harvest was completed and safely stored in our silos) and all the personal living at the farm or nearby is safe which is the most important. Certain people might consider us lucky as other activities (soybean, corn, cattle, etc) are more heavily impacted by the situation.