To strengthen the Habanero chili production chain through collaboration between science and the agricultural sector, Yucatan's Scientific Research Center (CICY) announced the launch of two new Habanero chili seed varieties: Mayan K'iin and Mayan Chac. These new varieties will allow producers to have high-quality fruits on an ongoing basis, generating economic and social benefits for their families and communities.
The project is led by Dr. Nancy Santana Buzzy, a researcher at the CICY's Integrative Biology Unit. These innovative varieties, developed by CICY's Seed Production Unit (UPS), offer competitive advantages compared to the options available in the market, such as greater tolerance to pests and diseases, better field performance, and improved taste, smell, and pungency, she stated.
The two new CICY varieties are registered with the National Seed Inspection and Certification Service (SNICS) and, in particular, the Mayan K'in variety has a breeder's title, she added. These new varieties help habanero chili producers solve production issues, such as the lack of access to quality seeds, variability in production, and the absence of strategies to guarantee continuous commercialisation. It also addresses market demands for habanero peppers with traditional characteristics such as intense aroma, characteristic taste, and distinctive pungency.
These new additions expand the Seed Production Unit's offer, which now includes four registered Habanero chili varieties: Mayan Ba'alché, Kisín (also with breeder's title), Mayan K'iin, and Mayan Chac. The goal of having this diversity is to meet the quality standards that open up local, national, and international marketing opportunities.
These new varieties were successfully tested in the field through various civil associations in the municipalities of Chemax and Temozón, with the collaboration of the National Water Commission (Conagua).
The collaborative work between producers, the government (Conagua), and the scientific-academic sector (CICY) has yielded a strategy with tangible results that have had a high social, economic, and environmental impact in the communities that have been part of these collaborative actions.
With this alliance between science and agriculture, CICY contributes to strengthening the future of Habanero peppers as a symbol of identity and an economic engine in Yucatan.
For more information:
CICY
www.cicy.mx