Mangosteen and rambutan plantations diversify the fields. Alfredo Cerdio Sanchez, president of the Association of Fruit Growers of Soconusco, reported that, this year alone, 200 hectares of mangosteen had been planted.
He said that the mangosteen is an exotic fruit of southern Thailand, but that in Mexico, they had the weather conditions required to produce it, as well as the rambutan.
"We're trying to complement our commercial market with these fruits, the mango season ends in May and we begin to harvest mangosteen and rambutan, so we can supply the markets for more months," he said.
Cerdio Sánchez said that the rains didn't affect the rambutan or the mangosteen, as they were harvested in the rainy season; thus, they expect to have good results.
"The mangosteen takes six years to be ready and we are just planting it. Last year we planted several acres, and this year we planted some more. There are colleagues who already have some and we are supporting them so they can market it," he said.
He noted that there were workshops to make work proposals in crops and export the product, and that they were also inviting farmers from other regions to join crop diversification.
Source: nimx