The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) confirmed that, after having a steady growth in the last 15 years (1999-2014), Chiapas ranked first in the production of organic food in Mexico.
Currently this production represents annual revenues of US $400 million, and their coffee, honey, cocoa, avocado, mango, pineapple and banana are the most sought after in the market.
Tatiana Ramos, specialist in food production, explained that Chiapas has positioned itself as it has complied with the Law for the Promotion and Regulation of Organic Products.
This rule developed agricultural production in a way that is harmonious with the environment, that conserves natural resources in the long term, and that contributes to preserving biodiversity without using or generating pollutants into the environment. It also created a certification agency that evaluates the product or production unit, which helped to boost this sector.
Proof of this is that, in late 2013, the state had 50,000 hectares devoted to organic production and became, along with Oaxaca, the main producers of organic food in the country, as they had 70% of the total organic area in the country.
This, she said, has allowed Mexico to rank first worldwide in the export of coffee, honey, and agave honey grown without the use of agrochemicals.
The most sought after organic Mexican crops are coffee, honey, cocoa, avocado, mango, pineapple, banana, orange, sesame, corn, prickly pear, vanilla, milk and its derivatives, egg and herbs, plus some processed products such as meats and sausages, juice, biscuits and jams.
Thus, according to statistics from SAGARPA, Mexico exports 85 percent of its organic production and Chiapas ranks first with 24 percent, followed by Oaxaca, Querétaro, Guerrero, Tabasco, Sinaloa, Michoacán and Jalisco.
Source: culturaorganica.com