Hass avocado producers from the different communities of the municipality of Nogales registered up to 45 percent losses in the production of this fruit due to different natural phenomena that affected them during the past few months.
According to the Director of Agricultural Development, Jorge Alejandro Álvarez Lopez, nearly 200 small and medium producers of avocado had losses.
He also said that producers hadn't been able to obtain an organic certification, despite producing a quality organic product with no chemical substances in their production and watered with water from the volcano. However, he added, they trusted that they could achieve this certification in 2018.
Avocado production varies each year. In 2016 Nogales produced around 60 tons. This year, however, producers estimate they lost at least 27 tons because of earthquakes. "Producers found under the trees a bed of green avocados that had fallen because of the tremors. Unfortunately, they weren't ripe and they could not rescue them."
He also said he trusted that the product that was left in the trees was of greater strength and quality, so it could reach good prices in the markets. "Producers are paid 15 to 20 pesos for a kilo of avocados, while final consumers pay 60 to 70 pesos per kilogram. The product is mainly sent to the State of Puebla and another part to the Federal District, where it is distributed to other federal entities," he added.
Source: periodistasdigitales