Within the framework of the V International Berry Congress of Huelva, Juan Jose Flores, the managing director of Mexico's Association of Berry Producers and Exporters (Aneberries), had the opportunity to share his country's experience growing berries with the producers of Huelva.
Currently, Mexico has 44,000 hectares devoted to growing berries, and the sector has grown by almost 90% in the last six years, which places Mexico among the top five producers of berries worldwide.
In 2018, according to data provided by Juan Jose Flores, Mexico exported 364,000 tons of berries worth 2.107 billion dollars, while national consumption stands at 400 million dollars. In addition, it is a sector that generates 200,000 to 350,000 jobs.
Nearly 97% of the berry production goes to the North American market, USA and Canada, although they also have a presence in 35 other international markets. Barely 1.75% of the production is allocated for the European Union. Nearly 11,000 kilos of blueberries and another eleven thousand tons of strawberries were allocated to Spain in 2018.
Some of the challenges faced by Mexican producers are the high demand for labor, social responsibility, internal migration in the country, foreign trade (as 97 percent of their market depends on of the United States), and sustainability. Flores also pointed out the need for genetic improvement programs to create varieties that produce more with fewer water resources and that are more resistant to pests.
Finally, the head of Aneberries lamented that the Mexican public administrations had stopped collaborating to promote fairs, international events, and exports of the production in recent years.
Source: agrodiariohuelva.es
