LatinNews Daily - 26 April 2023

* Peru’s agriculture minister, Nelly Paredes, has said that the government will invest PEN1.07bn (US$284.7m) to boost the agricultural sector and generate productive employment. These funds, which are part of the government’s agricultural programme ‘Con Punche Perú Agro’, will be spent on projects such as dredging and cleaning canals and drainage ditches. Paredes said that PEN800m will go towards projects related to water management. The urgency of improving drainage was made clear by recent floods which caused the government to declare states of emergency in the northern regions of Piura, Tumbes, Lambayeque, and La Libertad. Flooding reached its peak during Cyclone Yaku, which affected the country from 7-20 March, killing at least 50 people, leaving 8,000 homeless, and devastating agriculture in the north of the country. The region of Piura in particular is still suffering the impact of the cyclone with continued flooding and landslides.