Guatemala has a large number and variety of agricultural products, but in this country with such great potential, most of the lands are owned by very few people and a handful of products dominate the market. This is why the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food seeks to invest in the development of the country's agricultural industry.
"We work with labourers from each of the 29 municipalities," said the head of MAGA's departmental office in San Marcos, Rony de León Cáceres. This means that they are helping labourers under various programmes, including the provision of food as a means of motivation and many other programmes.
"We are implementing agricultural extension systems in each municipality," explained Cáceres. "An agricultural engineer is in charge of advising growers who are about to commercialise their products; an agronomist works alongside people with fewer financial resources and a social worker teaches women alternatives in agricultural labour."
The country's three most important products are coffee, sugar and bananas, explained Cáceres. There are 70,000 hectares of banana plantations in Guatemala, and every year banana exports are made with a value of 530 million dollars, 85% of which are shipped to the US. Last year, banana producers faced trouble when several volcanos in the south of the country affected the plantations, but the biggest problem is still the existence of a landowning oligarchy.
"The landowning system is probably not going to change," said Cáceres, "but we are looking for alternatives, such as hydroponics, to alleviate the difficulties caused by the lack of available lands."
For more information:
Rony de León Cáceres
MAGA
+502 57379077