Livestock

Dairy producers in Catacamas, Olancho, say they receive only 10–11 lempiras per liter (about $0.40–$0.44) while production costs have risen, and are calling on the Agriculture Ministry to support the sector or risk losing producers.

Honduras's agricultural health agency has intensified efforts against the screwworm parasite by training 49,000 farmers and inspecting over 950,000 animals, as the pest has caused nearly 8,000 cases and three deaths since 2024.

Honduras's farm and livestock federation warns of an expected severe drought in November and urges producers to use current rains in September and October to plant grains and stockpile feed, as agricultural output has fallen 35–40 percent.

The National Congress Agriculture Committee and producers' associations agreed to develop financial products tailored to small-livestock farmers and establish an inter-agency technical working group to coordinate production, health, and financing assistance.

About 400 farmers in Valle Department received 400,000 pounds of sorghum and corn silage from the Agriculture Ministry to feed livestock amid drought conditions, in a program costing 1.2 million lempiras (about $48,000) across nine municipalities.

After residents reported a puma loose in Ojojona, Francisco Morazán, that has killed livestock, municipal authorities coordinated with the fire department and national police to track and contain the animal in the rural Cenicera and Surcos de Caña areas.

Honduras's agricultural sector is reporting significant losses from adverse weather, with corn production down roughly 30% across evaluated plots and livestock output declining 10–40%; the Agriculture Ministry is distributing 20 million lempiras (about $800,000) in feed aid and crop incentives to affected farmers and ranchers.

The mayor of San Miguelito in Francisco Morazán reports that severe drought has destroyed all crops and forced farmers to sell cattle at half their normal price, with no rain since May and water sources running dry.

A prolonged drought in Yoro has killed at least 400 head of cattle in the municipalities of Olanchito, Arenal, and Jocón, prompting a congressman to call for an emergency assessment by agricultural and disaster-response authorities.

A National Congress member from Yoro requested urgent intervention from the Agriculture Ministry to address severe drought in the Alto Aguán region of Olanchito, where lack of rainfall has depleted livestock feed and threatened cattle producers' livelihoods.

The municipality of Gualcinse, Lempira, declared an emergency due to prolonged drought and climate change, reporting losses of approximately 1,400 acres of corn, 520 of beans, livestock feed shortages, and an 80% drop in river water levels.

The government will fund about 3,000 water-harvesting reservoirs nationwide, using geomembranes to store seasonal rainfall for livestock and irrigation during dry months, as drought has killed 300 cattle and cut milk output by 50% on unprepared farms.

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina says no cattle deaths have been reported from the ongoing drought affecting 75 municipalities, though he acknowledged that poor preparation and lack of feed—compounded by the dry spell—are causing animal losses in some areas.

Small-scale rancher Rolando Pastrana of Morolica, Choluteca, has lost six cattle to extreme heat and lack of water and feed, burning the carcasses to prevent contamination, as drought-stricken families in the area wait for rain with no government aid in sight.

Experts from Mexico and Central America called Thursday for a regional strategy to combat the screwworm, a parasitic larva that infests livestock and threatens the region's cattle industry.

A severe drought across at least 30 communities in Yoro's Alto Aguán region has left livestock without food or water, forcing ranchers to buy fodder and haul water to keep herds alive while cattle die of starvation.

Beef prices in Honduras have climbed 4 lempiras over two weeks due to livestock shortages caused by drought and reduced pastureland, with vendors absorbing much of the increase to hold retail prices at roughly 100 lempiras per pound (about $4).

Cattle are dying across a 75-municipality drought zone in southern Honduras as farmers and ranchers, who counted on rains in May, struggle without water or fodder and wait for government aid.