Mexico agrees to water transfer to help Texas farmers
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announces a major win for American agriculture by securing the agreement of the Mexican government to meet the current water needs of farmers and ranchers in Texas as part of the 1944 Water Treaty.
The Mexican government committed to transfer water from international reservoirs and increase the United States share of the flow in six of Mexico’s Rio Grande tributaries through the end of the current five-year water cycle.
“Mexico finally meeting the water needs of Texas farmers and ranchers under the 1944 Water Treaty is a major win for American agriculture,” Rollins said in a news release. “After weeks of negotiations with Mexican cabinet officials alongside the Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, we secured an agreement to give Texas producers the water they need to thrive. While this is a significant step forward, we welcome Mexico’s continued cooperation to support the future of American agriculture.”
The agreement between the United States and Mexico solidified a plan for immediate and short-term water relief to meet the needs of Texas farmers and ranchers for this growing season. It includes water releases and continued commitments through the end of this cycle which concludes in October. The U.S. welcomes further collaboration with Mexico on their treaty agreements with outstanding water debts in mind, specifically additional monthly transfers and regular consultations on future water deliveries.
Under the 1944 Water Treaty, Mexico is obligated to deliver 1.75 million acre-feet over five years to the U.S. from the Rio Grande River. The U.S. in turn delivers 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico from the Colorado River. Mexico’s shortfalls in deliveries has led to severe water shortages for Rio Grande Valley farmers and ranchers, devastating crops, costing jobs and threatening the local economy, the USDA release said.
While negotiations were ongoing with Mexico, Secretary Rollins announced a $280 million grant agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture to provide critical economic relief to eligible Rio Grande Valley farmers and producers affected by shortalls.
