According to Cecilio Zamora Ramos, the director of Rural Development, the area devoted to avocado production in Morelia area will increase by nearly 200 percent over the next 5 years.
The area devoted to avocado production is projected to grow, from the current 1,000 hectares, to 3,000 hectares in 2019.
The increase in area will be due to the producers interest in working with a product that has a high value in the international market, as there is an important difference in prices for avocado in Mexico when compared to the prices achieved in places like the US and Japan.
Currently, the avocado orchards in Morelia produce an average of 10 tons per hectare and a total of 10,000 tons per year, which would rise to 30,000 tons annually.
The avocado orchards are currently mainly located in the southern and southeastern areas of the state, but there has been a growth of orchards to the west of the state's capital.
Unchecked expansion
Even though avocado producers are required to give notice to the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) when they start exploiting an orchard, the director of Rural Development in Morelia said that the municipality had no data on the change of land use, especially regarding the changes made to land for forestry, which are made without authorization.
He said that this was the responsibility of the environmental authorities and that Rural Development was in charge of the verification process to certify that the municipality of Morelia was free of the avocado screwworm.
He stated that Rural Development was in charge of the first diagnosis of the avocado orchards so that SAGARPA could immediately start their certification. Afterwards, the accreditation is published in the Official Journal of the Federation (DOF). This certification is necessary so that the municipality can be eligible to be integrated into the work plan to export to the United States and Canada.
Source: quadratin.com.mx