Chihuahua ranks first nationally in the production of green chillies, which generates an economic impact of about 6 million jobs, said the Head of the Department of Agriculture of the Rural Development State Secretariat, Rogelio Nunez Muniz.
"The goal is to ensure and maintain plant health and safety. There are health campaigns to combat pests like the pepper weevil. Regarding safety, the quality of the finished product is checked at the processing plants," he said.
He said that 70 percent of the pepper planted in the state were jalapeños, as the state has 32,000 hectares of jalapeño crops that produce more than 600,000 tons per year.
Chihuahua also produces several varieties of peppers. The municipalities of Ascension, Buenaventura, and Casas Grandes, for example, cultivate Anaheim or Chilacas peppers, which is mainly exported to the United States.
"If, for some reason, the market stopped, they could be transformed into dried chilles. Jalapeños and serranos can be used to make Chipotle. The state produces about 12,000 tons of chipotle per year."
Chihuahua's agricultural sector, which includes nut, apple, cotton, and basic grain crops, among others, generates jobs and economic benefit throughout most of the year, he said. Apple cultivation alone generates 10 million jobs annually.
The harvest in the south central part of the state generates between 15,000 and 20,000 jobs for people coming mostly from Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Tlaxcala, who work every year in the jalapeño pepper, onion, and watermelon harvests to make a living.
Source: Notimex