Record-breaking heatwave causes hyperthermia alert and harms agriculture

The National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) issued a warning of “great danger” until October 9 because of the high temperatures recorded at the beginning of the month. In the Midwest and Tocantins State, there is a risk of death from hyperthermia. In an interview to CNN Brazil, Mamedes Luiz Melo, an Inmet meteorologist, pointed out that the scenario is caused by a “myriad of factors”, such as the long period without rain and the recent fires that struck the Amazon and the Pantanal.

The effects of the heat wave are already being felt in the economy. In the city of Bastos, the largest egg producer in São Paulo State, the heat — which reached 41ºC throughout the week — caused great losses to the region’s poultry farmers. Heard by Globo Rural, Sérgio Kakimoto estimates that his farm lost between 40,000 and 45,000 animals and predicts that the loss could reach 70,000 hens. According to an article on the G1 portal, the damage led the cost of eggs to rise by approximately 10%.

In Belo Horizonte (MG), an inquiry carried out in 17 food stores  in the capital found an increase in the price of fruits and vegetables because of the powerful heat that affects the region. For the newspaper Hoje em Dia, Feliciano Abreu, coordinator of the Mercado Mineiro website, pointed out that the transportation of goods is compromised by high temperatures.