The Mexican state of Chiapas is the national center of rambutan production. Rambutan crops are concentrated in the localities of Metapa, Frontera, Tuxtla Chico, Kilometer 10 and the high zone that corresponds to Cacahoatan and Carillo Puerto.
Extreme weather events caused by climate change have reduced the volume harvested this season by more than 30%. Producers harvested 30 thousand tons of rambutan in last year's season. This year, production has dropped to 20 thousand tons.
The manager of the Exotic Agricultural products company, which produces rambutan, Victor Alfonso Perez Saldaña, said the plants hadn't undergone their flowering process, but produced more foliage, due to the rains in January, February, and March. He also said that some farmers had started to harvest the product and were getting paid 40 to 45 pesos per kilo, a price that is expected will remain the same.
In this campaign, 40% of the production will be exported to the United States, 30% to Guatemala, 10% will be sent to other states in the country, and 20% will be sent to the municipalities of Comitan, Tuxtla Chico, San Cristobal and Tapachula. Producers trust that production will increase in the coming years thanks to the Sowing lives! program launched by the federal government.
Source: chiapas.quadrantin.com.mx
