Jalisco has become the largest producer of avocados per hectare in Mexico, with 35 tons, thanks to digital agriculture, according to a publication by Leticia Hernández in the newspaper El Financiero.
"Digital agriculture" incorporates drones, robots, sensors, decision and analysis tools, plus the cloud, as well as the intelligent use of data to optimize a plantations' work systems, from spraying to weeding.
The publication indicates that through advanced technology applied to irrigation systems, land enhancement and pest care, the south of the state has become a stronghold in avocado cultivation.
"Its production in the last five years has increased by 251 percent from 40 thousand 846 tonnes in 2012, to 143 thousand 505 in the 2016 agricultural year, according to data from the State Office of Information for Rural Development (Oeidrus) of Jalisco," the publication adds.
He explains that "the Agricultural Council of Jalisco managed to convince the government that the main asset of the entity is its land, so that the growth strategy focused on the field. Beyond raising the productivity of the primary sector, we look for products of aggregate value and the development of materials for the industry from the fields, "explained Jacobo Cabrera, president of the Agriculture and Livestock Council of the entity.
Each of the 12 regions in which the entity has been divided has at least one project in which technology has a principal role in endowing the final product with an added value. Through the Agroindustrial Intelligence Center, production opportunities by zone are detected. Using drones samples are taken and analyzed with regards to the viability with certain products and will soon launch a drone reforestation program.
New technologies are more accurate and efficient than previous ones, such as satellite images and tractors, allowing productivity gains and cost savings. The development of drones for agribusiness is accelerating. In addition to using them to plant pods with seeds and nutrients in the soil, they are also developed to spray crops more precisely and efficiently than current tractor-based technologies. There are also drones with thermal sensors, suitable for monitoring the health and growth of crops.
According to recent estimates, the market for drone-fueled solutions in agriculture is $ 32.4 billion, 25 percent of the total drone applications market, according to The 2017 Global Innovation Index report.
"Although the entity is a little lacking in water, the use of technologies has raised productivity in the agricultural production of avocado, lemon, mango and berries. Opportunities have been discovered with other crops, which is how Jalisco contributes 11.46 percent to agricultural GDP, according to data from Oeidrus Jalisco.
Source: El Financiero / hoy.com.do