“El Nino delays Mexican strawberry harvests”

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The weather hasn’t been good to Mexican strawberry farmers is not an overstatement. According to Aketzalli (Kelly) Mendoza, Director of Marketing for Fresa Fortaleza, this season was tough for every grower throughout Mexico. “Since that the El Nino phenomenon has affected our weather patterns and climate the entire production process has been delayed by at least a month. Or, just as we began to see more yield, a sudden shower came in and all the crops were processed. The next time I’m anticipating better weather however, we’re hoping to find varieties that will be successful despite these changes to our climate.”


Aketzalli (Kelly) Mendoza Commercial Director for Fresa Fortaleza, showing some of the varieties of strawberries grown throughout Mexico.

The Mexican strawberry industry’s flourishing production has been hampered by constant change in the weather. “It seems like this conditions have helped the blueberry crop even more. There is a feeling that summer came during winter, and winter arrives in the summer. Everything appears to be not typical in Mexico. The US market is blessed with Florida strawberries, however this creates confusion for both the farmer and seller. Rainstorms that are random can impact fruits’ quality, as well as causing mold and botrytis. When there isn’t any sunshine, it becomes challenging to supply enough light hours to plants. Similar is the case for nurseries located in Baja California, when the cold isn’t coming, the hours don’t suffice to get started the process of planting.”

Fresa Fortaleza is located within Guanajuato, Mexico. They grow and export various kinds of strawberries, mainly towards market in the US market. The company is focused on testing diverse varieties of strawberries for Mexican producers, with the ability to withstand various climate conditions, a desired characteristic.

The challenges that are facing us all have caused many Mexican producers to stop production, instead of enduring more loss. “I am sure that the change in weather due to changes in the climate is impacting the country and some of the growers in Mexico are halting their operations as it’s not an ongoing production as before. In the near future, it appears as if the strawberries production has to be in glass-encased houses like in the Netherlands however it’s costly to be economically viable” Mendoza concludes.

More information is available here:

Aketzalli (Kelly) Mendoza

Fresa Fortaleza

Email: kellybakehl@gmail.com

www.fresafortaleza.com

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Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies