During 2016, the coastal area of Baja California produced 83,721 tons of berries (blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, and blackberry) in 2,576 hectares, stated the states Delegate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA), Engineer, Guillermo Aldrete Haas.

The federal official said that strawberries achieved the biggest production. Strawberry production amounted to 71,241 tons harvested in 1,823 hectares.

The biggest production (68,971 tons) was obtained in the open-air cultivation fields. Organic planting exceeded 320 tons; the harvest in mesh shade structures produced 1,518 tons, and greenhouse production amounted to 432 tons of this delicious fruit.

He said blueberry production had ranked second, as it yielded 1,892 tons in 140 hectares. There were 111 hectares of open-air blueberry crops that yielded 1,642 tons of fruit. 17 hectares of mesh-covered blueberry production yielded 115.6 tons; and the 12 hectares of organic production yielded 134.40 tons, he said.

Raspberries ranked third with 9,965 tons harvested in 562 hectares. 8,312 tons were produced in 448 hectares of open air crops. Raspberry organic production amounted to 1,653 tons harvested in 114 hectares.

In the last harvest, Aldrete said, blackberry production amounted to 622.30 tons harvested in 51 hectares; most of which were grown in open-air fields (50 hectares) and the remaining hectares under mesh-covered structures.

In Baja California, there are 40 producers of strawberry, 11 producers of raspberry, 5 producers of blueberry, and 3 producers of blackberry; most of them are located in the agricultural areas of San Quintin and Colonia Vicente Guerrero, which belong to the municipality of Ensenada.

90% of the production obtained last year was sent to international markets, mainly to the United States. The remaining 10% was mainly allocated to meet the demand of the regional and national markets.

Finally, the delegate of SAGARPA, said the Federal Government led by President Enrique Peña Nieto and the holder of SAGARPA, Jose Calzada, would continue to work in coordination with berry producers of the coastal area to continue developing and consolidating this important agricultural sub-sector.