Mexican province prepares to shift from tobacco to fruit
Tobacco growers in the state of Nayarit in Mexico are preparing to start growing fruit, said an official, according to local website Milenio.com.
Rodolfo Coronado MontaƱo, of the Commission of Agricultural Affairs, said that the increase in taxes on tobacco production and prevailing sanitary rules prompted the state to make the switch, according to the website.
He said 20,800 families produce tobacco. The national government has dedicated 400 million pesos (US $32.3 million) to the project, the website said.
āWe have not yet defined the type of crops in the conversion, we will have to talk with leaders in the fields,ā MontaƱo is quoted as saying. āWe think that the most viable would be melon, watermelon, papaya, mango, banana and avocado, but growers have the best proposals.ā He added that the projects are expected to begin in January.
With thousands of hectares of corn, tobacco, beans, fruit and other crops, the Pacific Coast state has been considered the Gold Coast since the 19th century. Ā Nayatil produces 78% of Mexicoās tobacco, generating 16,000 jobs directly and 3,800 jobs indirectly.
The state trades with Brazil, Argentina, the United States, parts of the European Union, Australia and Turkey.
Photo: Sara Escobar/Milenio.com
Source: www.freshfruitportal.com