Leonel Martinez said in an interview that the mango production sector had been severely affected by the unseasonable rains that had damaged the flowers and inhibited the fruit's growth. He also lamented that 40% of the region's mango plantations had been contaminated by the witch's broom disease.
Although production has declined as a result of diseases in the fruit, mango producers haven't assimilated that they need to convert to organic production, said the president of the Municipal Council of Mango Growers, who stressed that mango producers won't accept that they must change their practices to improve and, above all, protect the production since the first planting.
"Many producers have trouble assimilating that they need to invest and improve plant protection, harvesting, handling, packaging and, above all, stop being traditional producers to improve the product's quality and become true agribusiness entrepreneurs, "said Leonel Martinez, while encouraging producers to approach the agricultural agency for implementing strategies and improving production.
In general, he stated, the fact that the orchards were flowering this late represents a serious productivity problem because, once they are ready to be harvested, the foreign and domestic markets will be stocking up on mangos from other producing states and from abroad.
He acknowledged that the biggest problem for the producers of Michoacan mango each season was the plant vector known as witch's broom, which has substantially reduced the average productivity per hectare, which is currently between two and three tonnes per hectare.
He also indicated that the sector should shield itself immediately against the pests, such as the witch's broom and anthracnose, with new farming practices and environmental technology packages that would allow in the short-term the sustainability of the State Committee of Mango Manufacturers.
It's worth noting that the Mango Product System intends to achieve GlobalGAP certification this year of the sixteen packages it has to be able to export without any constraints and to have at least seven thousand hectares certified for marketing in other countries.
Source: Cambiodemichoacan