The President of the State's Peach Product System, Abel Hernandez Lima, said peach growers lost about 2.1 million pesos because of the damage caused by the excess water.
The rains had a significant impact because producers lost 300 to 350 tons of peaches and, since peach prices were established between 6 and 7 pesos per kilogram, producers lost a good amount of money.
Fortunately, Hernandez Lima said, there was a very good production, between 5,000 and 6,000 tons, and approximately 80 percent of it was well placed in markets.
This harvest allowed the industry to recover from last year's losses, caused by weather issues and the investment made for the 2014 planting period. We had a favourable outcome, he said.
Hernandez Lima stated that 80 percent of the production corresponded to different varieties, such Atlas, Frost and Dew, because they are more resistant to the weather and crop management.
He said that producers had been cautious in 2014 because of their experience in 2013. Last year there was virtually no harvest, as it only amounted to about 100 to 150 tons, as a result of the frost that hit the fields of Tlaxcalteca in March.
Hernandez Lima said there had been adverse factors for the peach, such as the ice fall between October and March, which affected the plants' flowering; and the hailstorms during the rainy season.
Other setbacks are the fruit's price fluctuations in the market and the lack of organization for marketing, emphasized Hernandez Lima, who insisted they had to work to overcome such obstacles.
"Organizing producers, making better use of our capacity, getting specialized technical assistance, appropriate technology, mixing resources from the federal and state governments as well as from the growers are key factors for our success," he said.
The sector also needs to expand its irrigation area, install anti-hail nets, construct warehouses, a packaging system for washing, brushing and waxing the fruit, cold rooms, modern equipment and to consolidate breeding.
Source: lajornadadeoriente.com.mx