Photo: Coca-Cola

PULSE NEWS MEXICO

Because of the worsening drought in the northern state of Nuevo León, Mexican  President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) on Monday, July 18, asked bottlers in that region to stop the production of soft drinks and beers in order to provide more water to the population.

“In other states (in the north of Mexico), the governors are taking action, and, fortunately, the situation is not so serious,” López Obrador said during his daily press conference at the National Palace.

“But we have to think about the people. The companies that make the decision (to suspend production) will to be supported by us. We can reach agreements so that these companies are not so negatively affected.”

AMLO went on to note that there are two bottling firms that distribute Coca-Cola in the state.

“I understand that one of them has already contributed water and the other has not. So, I would call all of them to pitch in, as well as the local breweries,” he said.

“They may say that they are already contributing, but if the situation gets more complicated, they must continue to contribute and even stop production in order to support the local population.”

According to a recent report in the daily Mexican newspaper Reforma, the drought in Nuevo León is not only affecting the potable water supply in the Monterrey metropolitan area, but it is also putting cattle production at risk, which in the coming weeks is expected to fall by 15 percent due to a lack of water, ranchers said.

Adrián de la Garza Tijerina, president of the Regional Livestock Union of Nuevo León, said that the reproductive herd — composed of some 620,000 cows that produce an average of 320,000 calves a year — has been shrinking due to the effects of the drought.

Given the scarcity of water, he said, ranchers prefer to sell the cattle for meat instead of letting them die of thirst.