The V International Congress of Red Fruits recently held in Huelva, served as a scenario for the Engineer Juan José Flores, General Director of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Berries of Mexico (ANEBERRIES), has analyzed the reality and the challenges of the berries Mexican companies, both at the production level and in the field of marketing.
Engineer Juan José Flores explained during his speech that: “The surface of cultivation of berries in Mexico reaches 44,000 hectares, with a growth of almost 90% in the last six years, which makes Mexico is among the top five berries producers worldwide “.
In addition, the General Director of ANEBERRIES also indicated that “in 2018, Mexico exported 364,000 tons of red fruits worth 2,107 million dollars, while national consumption is evaluated at 400 million dollars. It is a sector that also generates between 200,000 and 350,000 jobs “.
Also, Engineer Juan José Flores also said that “around 97% of the production of berries goes to the North American market, USA and Canada, although they also have a presence in 33 other international markets. With regard to the European Union market, 1.75% of the production is destined, and specifically to Spain in 2018 some 11,000 kilos of blueberries were allocated and the same amount in strawberries “.
In regards to the challenges chapter, Engineer Juan José Flores stressed that “our main challenges are to improve both sustainability and social responsibility, for what our producers and companies work day by day. At the same time, we regret that from now on the Mexican federal government no longer supports the promotion of Mexican products, through specialized international fairs. ”
Diversification of Export Markets
Within the same context, Engineer Juan José Flores has also stressed that “the berries of Mexico are working on the diversification of export markets, betting on the European Union, Asia and the Middle East. In addition, it is vital to promote the need for breeding programs for varieties to produce with a lower use of water resources and be more resistant to pests.
In addition, the engineer Flores also stressed that “it is very important to develop campaigns to promote the consumption of our berries to boost the domestic market in Mexico, which has a huge interest for Red Fruits”.
