Government officials from Honduras are adjusting a plan to promote the cultivation of pitahaya for local consumption and export purposes with the support of international cooperation projects.
This plant is a succulent, rustic cactus with long triangular stems. It is resistant to drought and has tentacles that look for rocks. It also becomes entangled in nearby trees feeding on the moisture of their bark and climbs their branches eight or ten meters above the ground without penetrating the ground.
The undersecretary of agriculture, Jose Benitez, coordinated a meeting to promote agricultural products in the country that generate income for producers and contribute to food security.
Representatives of projects of the Swiss Foundation of cooperation for technical development, Swisscontac, have contributed valuable support for the formation of agricultural food chains.
According to Benitez, pitahaya can be grown in Choluteca, Valle, and in sectors of the Dry Corridor. However, they must first create a plan to make the fruit, its marketing, production, and export possibilities, among other things, known to producers.
Countries such as Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Israel generate millions of dollars for pitahaya exports.
This fruit has been cultivated in experimental stations of the Agricultural Science and Technology Directorate (Dicta) and also by several producers.
Dicta experts indicated that a hectare can yield around 1,700 fruits.
Source: latribuna.hn