Texas’ last known sugar mill shuts down in Rio Grande Valley, citing water issues with Mexico
Texas’ last known sugar mill, located in the Rio Grande Valley, is shutting down after 51 years, citing ongoing water issues with Mexico, the company that operates it said.
Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Inc. completed its final harvest and milling season, according to a news release from the company. The mill, which has 500 full-time and seasonal employees, processes sugarcane into raw sugar and molasses.
The company consists of 100 growers that care for an estimated 40,000 acres of sugarcane. It says the mills’ closure is due to Mexico’s noncompliance with the 1944 water treaty between that country and the U.S.
“Agriculture in the Rio Grande Valley depends on adequate and reliable irrigation water deliveries,” the company said in a statement. “For over 30 years, farmers in South Texas have been battling with Mexico’s failure to comply with the provisions of the 1944 Water Treaty between the U.S. and Mexico that governs water sharing between the two nations on the Colorado River and the Lower Rio Grande.”
The treaty requires Mexico to deliver 1,750,000 acre-feet of water to the U.S. over a five-year cycle, according to the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality.
The Texas Farm Bureau said Mexico owes more than 736,000 acre-feet of water, having delivered only 376,915 acre-feet of the 1,113,288 acre-feet of water owed to the U.S. this cycle.
Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers also called out the U.S. State Department, saying federal officials are not prioritizing the citizens and agriculture producers of South Texas, which has led to numerous water shortages.
Without the department’s support, attempts to negotiate timely water releases have failed, the company said.
“Despite our growers’ deep desire to continue this legacy for future generations, without reliable supplies of irrigation water and the necessary crop insurance provisions and administrative guidelines to maintain acres, RGVSG Inc. has no choice but to close its doors,” the company said in a statement.
Texas’ U.S. senators, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, issued a joint statement regarding the sugar mill’s closure.
“Mexico’s failure to adhere to its obligations … is having disastrous consequences on farmers and ranchers in South Texas,” the statement said, adding that other closures may follow unless Mexico’s government moves to comply with the water treaty. “The current situation is unsustainable and unacceptable. The U.S. must use every diplomatic tool at its disposal to ensure Mexico’s compliance.”
Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers was the last sugar mill in Texas after the 1997 closure of Holly Sugar Corp.’s sugar beet plant in Hereford.
Source Link: https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/texas-sugar-mill-closes-cites-water-issues-mexico-18687760.php
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