The delegate of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA), Roberto Luevano Silva, said the area devoted to protected agriculture, especially for the irrigated production of vegetables, had increased by 500 hectares in recent years. Two years ago, the entity devoted 130,000 hectares to the production of vegetables.
He said this ranked Zacatecas at the 15th biggest producer of vegetables, among which its peppers, tomato, and cucumbers stand out, in the country.
The official said Zacatecas had about 40,000 hectares devoted for the open field production of chili and 3,000 hectares for the open field production of tomatoes this cycle.
"In general, these are crops that have worked. We export much of our production of these crops. We export more and more chili, more tomatoes, green peppers, and cucumbers. Exports continue to be an incentive for producers," he added.
Luevano Silva said Zacatecas had a small irrigated area, so their vegetables did not reach their ideal size for sale fast enough.
He stressed that the main producing areas in Zacatecas were Villa de Cos, Loreto, and Fresnillo, which had large areas of lettuce and carrots, among other crops in the open.
He said Fresnillo stood out in the use of technology that made agriculture a profitable business.
He added that 10 percent of the area cultivated in the state was devoted to produce vegetables, which accounted for 85 percent of the economic activity generated by the primary sector.
"Vegetables account for a high percentage of this entity's gross domestic product (GDP)," he said.
Source: nrtzacatecas