MEXICO CITY: Approximately 20 tons of prickly pears, maguey leaf, cactus and oxconostles have been exported to the United States from the eastern region of the state of Mexico. President of the Association of Producers and Exporters of cactus, prickly pear, xoconostle and maguey leaf, AC, Jose Flavio Alvarez Hernandez, said they begun by exporting 50 percent more than the 10,000 tons that was exported in 2014.
The products originate from the region composed of the municipalities of San Martin de las Piramides, Nopaltepec, Temascalapa, Acolman, Otumba, Axapusco, and San Juan Teotihuacan. Alvarez Hernandez says that on average, the region exports 4,000 tons of cactus, 3,500 tons of red prickly pears, 900 tons of xoconostle, 500 tons of crystalline green prickly pears, 300 tons of maguey leaf and 200 tons of yellow prickly pears.
Mexico’s produce is shipped to cities all around the United States including Maryland, Dallas, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
The secretary of Agricultural Development (SEDAGRO) of the State of Mexico, Enrique Ortega Heriberto Ramirez, said, in 2015, SENASICA had invested about 56 million pesos to undertake health and safety programs in the state, while the state government had channeled 18 million pesos to be invested on traceability.
Ortega Ramirez reported that they are in the process of implementing health and safety programs so Mexico can begin exporting mexiquense guave and avocados from the region of Temascalapa.
The state of Mexico is the main producer of exports to the United States with 16,900 hectares of land that each year, produces 183,000 tons of prickly pears, cactus, xoconostle and maguey leaves that have an estimated commercial value of 500 million peso.
