The delegate of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, Jaime Rodriguez Lopez, met with avocado producers in the municipality of Uruapan in an attempt to end the strike they have held for over two weeks at the premises of the Local Board of Plant Health and of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Mexican Avocado (APEAM).
This isn't the first time that producers have faced a marketing problem in 2016; last July they closed the offices of the Local Board of Plant Health and of the APEAM to demand fair prices.
Last week, the delegate met with producers and directors of the boards of Plant Health in his office in Morelia. On that occasion the directors requested the intervention of SAGARPA, so that producers could continue working and protect their crops from pest damage.
In the meeting, they asked for better coordination between all agencies and institutions, so that producers could benefit the state more efficiently and prevent conflicts that gave rise to confusion. The delegate, in response, offered the full support of his agency to achieve this objective so that the problems do not affect production.
He said that the external factors would be solved soon and they wouldn't happen again. He met with stakeholders yesterday at Uruapan with the aim of resolving the work stoppages, as they harm, not only the production, but also the families of workers.
Meanwhile, the APEAM condemned the strike of the avocado producers, who are demanding compliance with the marketing agreements already made, which established that the association would pay 60 pesos per kilogram for the fruit set aside for export. However, the producers only received 40 pesos per kilogram, according to producers.
Meanwhile, producers that supplied the APEAM, were forced to give an average of 30 kilograms of their product for sampling.
It is also worth noting that the APEAM, which holds the record for the export of avocados to the United States, stated: "They don't have the power to determine, agree, or suggest a price for the avocados for export." They are only a cooperating agency of the Work Plan for Hass Avocado Export to the United States of America.
The statement added: "They have complied with, and will continue to comply with, the laws of our country, which strictly prohibit any agreement, or any exchange of information between competitors that has the purpose or effect of fixing or manipulating the prices of goods and services: a conduct that is illegal and can be punished economically and criminally by the relevant authorities."
33 of the 57 municipalities where the avocado is cultivated, have been declared free of bone borers, thanks to the work of the Plant Protection Agency in Michoacan. Another 4 are about to be released completely, 13 are under phytosanitary care, and only 3 are still affected by the pest -accounting for a total of 138,102 hectares.
All of this has helped the state to become the national and international leader in the planting, production and export of avocados, with over 150,000 certified hectares, all of which, it has been proposed, should be set aside for export to the United States. The work being carried out, in partnership with the different agencies, is essential to ensure that this production is not affected and stays on course.
Source: oem.com.mx