Farmers from the five irrigation units in the Candelaria community are grappling with steep electricity costs, following the removal of a subsidy by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).
Juan Bautista Uc Náhuat, spokesperson for irrigation unit number 1 “El Cocoyón”, highlighted that the bills for each unit can exceed 200,000 pesos, accumulating to a total of around 750,000 pesos for the service.
"We've been told we can negotiate with the CFE, but how can we negotiate such a large sum? We can't stop working; it's simply not an option," stated Náhuat. Both he and the representative of unit 4-B, Justino Tuyub, are seeking the assistance of Governor Mara Lezama for legal advice to help them continue their work.
Náhuat noted that since the subsidy was removed, the bills began arriving at 30, 40, and 50 thousand pesos, which have been accumulating and in some cases, exceeding 200 thousand pesos.
Specifically, for unit 4-B, the bill for August was 149,334 pesos, due to the accumulated debt that the farmers have been unable to pay because of the high amounts.
"We are farmers, we need support," he stated.
The spokesperson mentioned that to regain the subsidy, they needed an updated constitutive act, a requirement they have already met. However, they must now settle the debt to continue with this process.
"We don't want to cause disruptions, we want the municipal president to help us speak with Governor Mara Lezama to see what can be done, as there are many people who rely on farming for their livelihood," he concluded.
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