Rambutan, which is considered one of the world's seven exotic fruits, has positioned itself in Soconusco as one of the important productive sectors, as the area devoted to this crop increases every year, generating greater economic benefit and a significant number of jobs.
The President of the Association of Rambutan Producers in Soconusco, Alfredo Lopez Garcia, said they expected to harvest about 30 thousand tons of rambutan this season, surpassing last year's 25 thousand ton production, which shows that the sector is growing and that it needs to generate new markets.
He said that Soconusco currently had 5,000 to 6,000 hectares devoted to the production of this exotic fruit distributed in different municipalities, such as Metapa, Frontera Hidalgo, Tapachula, and Huixtla. This year's harvest is expected to start in the next few days, as the production is at an advanced stage.
He said they expected the harvest would start at the end of April, mainly in the orchards located in the lower area of the municipalities of Metapa and Frontera Hidalgo, who achieve the best prices because of the low number of fruit being harvested.
He also said that, despite President Donald Trump's policies regarding the entry of Mexican fruit into the United States, producers expect to export 5 to 7 thousand tons of fruit, as they don't expect to have any phytosanitary complications thanks to their product's quality and flavor.
He also said they expected to continue exporting the fruit to Guatemala, which in recent years has become an important market for Soconusco, and to start exporting this product to the United Arab Emirates this season.
The president of the product system said that the domestic market was always a challenge for producers, as there are only a few states where consumers know the fruit. Producers have requested the support of the authorities to open new marketing channels, but they haven't had a positive answer so far.
Source: desdepuebla.com