A salmonella outbreak alert in US markets has already affected Mexican papaya exporters. Up to 20 thousand dollars are lost with each contaminated shipment.
In an interview, Francisco Lam Zamora, a small papaya producer in the state of Colima, said that they had to reduce the number of shipments because of the alert.
"So far we have not closed the border, but if we are reviewed by the health authorities in that country, and if bacteria is detected, they'll destroy the product, leaving with a loss of up to 20 thousand dollars per shipment," he said.
He said that each shipment is approximately 17 tons, which although they don't amount to much regarding the subject of exports, the money lost is impossible to recoup.
Francisco Lam is one of the 120 small producers participating in the training provided by the National Institute of Social Economy (INAES) in the municipality of Patzcuaro.
Colima is the first producer of tropical fruit at the national level, which is why, Francisco Lam said, they are looking for new export markets such as those in Europe and Asia.
He pointed out that more than 3,000 tonnes of papaya are exported a year, which, as he said, represents a considerable amount because they are small producers that compete with large companies in the market.
He stressed that markets such as the European and South American have accepted the Mexican product, so they hope to expand this sector soon in area in order to increase the economic income of the papaya sector.
Source: mimorelia.com