Chiapas- In Soconusco, it is urgent that federal and state authorities implement technical assistance to stop the advance of moniliasis that is affecting cocoa crops.
Although there is a State Committee on Plant Health, it does not take action on the matter, its technicians do not do their job well, they never go to the plots, causing the harvest to be lost by up to 60%.
David Casimiro Gutiérrez, cocoa producer, emphasized that the orchards are empty, because all the flowering fell due to the heavy rains that have caused the plant to abort the entire flower.
According to the original producer from Álvaro Obregón, there are around 7 thousand hectares at the regional level that do not have technical assistance, while in the community of there are about 300 that are completely abandoned.
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The peasants produced about 600 kilos per hectare annually, but with the effects of moniliasis, the rains and the lack of support, production will fall by 200 kilos per hectare for this productive cycle.
“An adult cocoa tree with good production tends to produce around 4 kilos per year, so now some will lose all their fruit.”
Another factor is that since there is not a good harvest, they have to do without labor.
At risk the export of cocoa to other countries
And it is that he said, by not having a good harvest, they would be failing to comply with the commercialization and export with their suppliers when the harvest collapses.
He reported that cocoa producers do not have production, since they expected that of October, however, it will be until December that they can have a harvest and be able to comply with the contracts.
In the region there are about 7 thousand small cocoa producers, who face the disease, without the assistance of the authorities.
Source: noticiasdechiapas.com.mx
