An in-depth interview with chairman of Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc.
SANTA ROSA, Texas - Although Rio Grande Valley sugar growers are upset that a 1944 US-Mexico water sharing treaty has been adhered to, they do not blame the head of the US section IBWC.
IBWC stands for the International Boundary and Water Commission. It is a binational entity that, among other things, governs the distribution of water along the Rio Grande.
“I would like to point out that the IBWC Commissioner, Dr. Maria Elena Giner has been the most communicative, the most supportive and the biggest advocate that South Texas has ever had in my history with them,” said Tudor Uhlhorn, chairman of the board of directors for Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc., a co-operative comprising more than 90 sugarcane growing farms.
“At the IBWC she (Giner) has been fantastic in fighting for water for us. But she can only do what she can do without the proper support for the State Department. Their (the IBWC’s) ultimate bosses are the United States State Department. So without pressure from them (the State Department) on Mexico, she's pretty limited. But she's been great.”
Ron Whitlock Reports secured an in-depth interview with Uhlhorn soon after RGVSGA decided to close its sugar harvesting, grinding and milling operation at the end of the season. As a result hundreds of jobs will be lost and the Valley economy will take a $100 million hit.
Uhlhorn said the decision to close the mill in Santa Rosa was a lack of reliable irrigation water. If Mexico had releasing water from the Conchos River Basin to the Rio Grande, as per the terms of 1944 treaty, Uhlhorn said, the sugar industry in the Valley could have been saved.
Editor's Note: Go to the Rio Grande Guardian website to read the full story.
Editor's Note: Here is the in-depth interview Tudor Uhlhorn gave Ron Whitlock Reports.
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