The apple harvest in Chihuahua, main producer of the fruit, will fall up to 50% this year as a consequence of drought and off season frosts in the region, say producer organizations and state authorities.
In total, all states produce 70% of the apples consumed in Mexico (735,725 tonnes annually), so the other 30% is imported from the United States, a country which this year is also having production problems, due to drought.
Roberto Flores Medina, president of the Regional Agricultural Union of Fruit Growers (Unifrut), said in an interview that the 2,500 associated growers will produce, in the best case scenario, up to 9 million boxes, when they generally harvest around 18 million.
He explains that the main stage of the harvest season starts this month and that predictions are made based on the healthy fruit still on the trees.
He assures that other Chihuahua producers not associated with Unifrut may be in the same situation. "It is difficult to say how many producers were affected, because every region in the state has suffered damages; however, some jobs will definitely be in danger."
He indicates that, given the lack of production nationally and in the US, the base price of apples has risen steeply, going from 6 to 7 pesos per kilo to between 10 and 13 pesos.
Source: Eleconomista