2022 begins with great expectations, but also important challenges for the pitahaya producing sector in Ecuador, which in 2021 exported 60% more than in 2020 with 17,895 tons.
According Gabriel Cruz, president of the Pitahaya Producers Association of the Palora canton, In Morona Santiago, a province where 65% of the registered production sites are concentrated, it is expected that new plantations will be added this year that would generate 40% more exports until next December.
Cruz assured that at the national level there are about 2,000 producers of yellow pitahaya and that for this year the entry of 1,000 more hectares of crops is expected. Every year, 10,000 to 15,000 kilos of pitahaya are produced per hectare.
Ecuador exported 17,895 tons of pitahaya in 2021, 60% more than in 2020
However, the uncontrolled growth of crops worries formal producers, especially small ones, Cruz said. “And since we’re not even covering the cost of production,” she added.
This was also confirmed Roberto Robalino, pitahaya producer from the Palora canton, which began in 2017 with two hectares and currently has seven.
He assured that the lack of control and regulation of this sector has caused this crop to be planted in an excessive way and now they suffer problems of overproduction and falling prices, which is causing many pitahaya producers to begin to stop cultivating.
The producer indicated that it is a priority for the national government to establish a legal umbrella, a law that allows regulating the entire pitahaya sector, for Robalino, the second most exported fresh fruit in Ecuador after bananas.
He recalled that the production of the fruit was initiated by the need to find an alternative source of income to the one that was already managed in this Amazon region, which was only focused on livestock and sugar cane. “The pitahaya began to generate income that allowed us to replace livestock with this crop,” recalled Robalino.
For his part, Cruz, who recalled that the growth of the sector began in 2014 when the opening of the United States market was obtained, described the current difficulty as “a problem of exporters.”
“Because of disputing the market, there is unfair marketing,” acknowledged the leader, who agrees with Robalino in the urgent creation of a law for the sector and that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) establish a minimum marketing price per kg of fruit according to production cost.
Cruz added that the sector plans to generate a bill to send it to the government for analysis, although for that they first expect the MAG to officially publish the production costs and see if the sector agrees.
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Meanwhile, another pending that creates great expectations in the sector is the form of trade agreements.
In this regard, Robalino assured that it is a priority to sign agreements with the Asian markets.
“We want the government to sign trade agreements to be able to send our fruit directly to China and other Asian markets such as Japan and South Korea, which are markets that would allow us to grow more in exports,” said Robalino, who pointed out that in the region they urgently need the opening of the Peruvian market, in addition to the Brazilian market, which is also of interest to them.
According to Phytosanitary and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control Agency (Agrocalidad)In 2021, the fruit was shipped to 27 countries around the world, with the United States being the largest destination market, with just over 84%, followed by Colombia and Singapore with 5.4% and 2.7%, respectively. At the moment there are phytosanitary requirements for the export of this fruit to 54 countries.
Cruz also assured that, in addition to issuing laws, the declaration of the pitahaya sector as strategic for the State is necessary, which allows reducing tariffs on the export of fruit and import of inputs, reducing operating expenses.
“That the governing body develop projects to add value to the fruit or its possible use in cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, etc.”, concluded the president of the Palora Association. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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