Among the exotic tropical species with a rapid international projection, the pitahaya stands out, thanks to this expectation, the areas under plantations are increasing in different coastal and mountainous provinces with a coastal regime, reaching 7,216 hectares with 1,891 registered producers for export from Morona Santiago, Pichincha, Manabí and Guayas , incorporating new ventures every day, to the extent that an official statement from the Ministry of Agriculture stated that it can promote up to 10,000 hectares of cactus around 2025.
The first shipment of 7.7 tons of Ecuadorian pitahaya is flying to China
However, there remain unanswered questions about future demand and production singularities, which included innovative systems such as artificial lighting to stimulate the most important function of living beings, which is photosynthesis, and with it other vital processes of ornamental plants such as flowering and nutrition, tending to create conditions suitable for higher productivity, with excellent sunlight. It happens that successful cultivation depends on a certain number of light hours, which, if not enough, must be compensated by night stimulation, which is already very common in our fields.
Palora producers plan to send 1,000 tons of pitahaya to China annually
The answer to so many doubts can only be given by field research in accordance with the environments in which the plantations are grown; For example, we are waiting to determine with certainty the number of hours, the intensity and quality of light, the time of year, now the parameters are very variable under the influence of climate change with all the factors that encourage them. In this, the contribution of the academy (Agrarian University of Ecuador) was very important, showing very practical results that reveal solutions for every problem that arises.
Ecuadorian pitahaya gets sanitary approval to enter China
Include organic techniques applicable to all aspects of activities such as fertilization, pest control, diseases, in which microorganisms play a transcendental role that assigns an increasingly decisive plus to recognize better prices for their special duly certified use. Ecuador must lead the use of nitrifying bacteria that capture nitrogen directly from the atmosphere, which was previously done exclusively for legumes, but is now used in other cactus crops, the family to which the pitahaya belongs, reducing the use of expensive chemicals that cause soil acidity.
If there are unknowns to decipher in the crop, more are anticipated in commercialization; It is confirmed, without verification, that there is an excess of supply, while the reality is the existence of insufficient consumption in the 58 countries where Ecuadorian production goes, which indicates that a large promotion is needed in which all links of the company must participate. .chain, in a sincere community of efforts of farmers and exporters united with supermarket chains motivated by creative promotions, taking advantage of the functional and nutritional character that adorns the tasting of the red or yellow pulp of dragon fruit, now with a new niche sale, a promising area of the People’s Republic of China. (OR)
Source: Eluniverso
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
