Michoacan has 120,000 hectares of avocado cultivation certified for export and it is considered the world leader in the production of this fruit, said the Secretary of Rural Development and Agricultural Food for the State, Francisco Huergo Maurin.
In an interview, the official said that so far this season the state avocado producers have managed to place a total of 945 thousand tons of the product in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Canada.
However, he said, the United States is undoubtedly their main buyer, as it purchases 90 percent of their exportable production.
Huergo Maurin said that,at present, 51 of the 113 municipalities in the state have a total area of 140 thousand hectares devoted to avocado production, 120 thousand of which are certified.
"This means that eight out of every 10 avocados consumed in Mexico were produced in Michoacan," he said.
He added that the production and export of avocado has been instrumental so that in 2017 Michoacan ranked first, for the seventh consecutive year, in avocado production value, with 64 billion pesos nationwide.
The head of the Ministry of Rural Development and Agriculture (SEDRUA) stated that the cultivation of avocado, as well as its commercialization and export, was the state's greatest source of income, even above the remittances sent by the people from Michoacan residing in United States and from tourism.
"The field, without doubt, is the pillar that sustains Michoacan," he said.
In this regard, he said that the entity's agricultural exports income amounted to a little over 3 billion dollars.
Huergo Maurin said that the main avocado producing municipalities were: Periban, Los Reyes, Uruapan, Tancitaro, Salvador Escalante, Tacambaro, Ario de Rosales, Uruapan, and Nuevo Parangaricutiro.
The head of SEDRUA also said that, following Michoacan in order of production, were the states of Jalisco, Estado de Mexico, Morelos, Nayarit, and Guerrero. However, there is no point of comparison, if we take into account, for example, that Jalisco only has 17 thousand hectares devoted to this crop.
At present, a kilogram of avocado costs approximately 70 pesos in the national market. This amount, which is considered high, is mainly due to the season, as the orchards are in bloom and there is not enough production. Its average price in the harvest season is 20 to 35 pesos, which makes it an accessible food.
This crop's boom has also generated problems for the entity, as many producers eager to profit from this production have opted to install their orchards without the corresponding permits, or have caused a change in the Use of land illegally.
In this sense, environmental authorities have taken action to recover affected wooded areas. So far this year, there have been 22 operations and more than 250 hectares recovered.
Source: tribunanoticias.mx