Jose Luis Medina Ochoa is a farmer from Ahualulco de Mercado that stopped planting corn to venture into the berries-business. He has three hectares of blueberries that he sells in the United States.
Fernando Antonio Nava Aguilar, the director of Fruit and Vegetable production of the Ministry of Rural Development (Seder), said that some 1,600 producers that employ up to 35,000 people had begun to convert their crops to take advantage of the boom in berries.
He also stated that all the berry plantations were new crops. "Corn and sugar cane crops are being replaced by berry crops, mainly in the municipalities of Tamazula, Ameca, Tala, Tlajomulco, El Arenal and Ciudad Guzman," he said.
Each product has three hectares in average, and the level of investment needed to convert a hectare averages 1,300,000 pesos. This implies a high level of expertise and professionalism.
The case of Jose Luis is emblematic because, even though he had to ask for a loan to change his corn crops, the accompaniment he received from the Ministry of Rural Development and from the entrepreneurs who buy his product was determinant for him to achieve successful crops.
Jalisco grows four kinds of berries : strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. The staff working the berries in the fields undergo safety and health processes which ensure that the food selected has export quality.
"Growth is very high at this time. We can speak of a boom in berries because we have a growth of almost a thousand hectares per year. We must pay attention to health, safety, water, and conduct training courses that help us understand the restrictions to sell berries in other markets," said Nava Aguilar.
Now, the agency seeks to foster this boomso that the harvest is guaranteed in the export windows.
Growing berries for export that can compete in quality with those produced in the United States, Spain or Chile, which are considered the main producing countries, isn't easy; it requires effort and discipline.
Source: informador.com.mx