SADER, JUMEX Promote Best Practices in Fruit Production

In an effort to boost the implementation of good practices in national fruit production, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), along with Grupo Jumex, launched a program aimed at certifying supplier orchards, boosting the competitiveness of farmers, and providing consumers with greater confidence in the origins of their purchased fruits, cultivated, packaged, and transported under optimal hygiene conditions.

Late in January this year, the National Health, Safety, and Agri-food Quality Service (SENASICA) began training sessions for producers interested in participating in the program. Participants will adopt Systems for the Reduction of Contamination Risks (SRRC) in their production processes. These systems, supported by legal, technical, and scientific instruments, contribute to minimizing the risk of physical, chemical, and microbiological contaminants throughout the production chain.

During the initial phase, SADER technicians will support mango producers in Oaxaca, orange producers in Veracruz, and apple producers in Chihuahua. The aim is for them to obtain certification in Good Agricultural Practices in the short and medium term. A subsequent phase will involve the participation of farmers and marketers of guava, strawberry, peach, tamarind, grapefruit, and tangerine from other states. Additionally, training sessions, involving personnel from State Plant Health Committees, will also cover the processes and regulatory framework that producers must follow to obtain Organic Certification. 

To strengthen fruit traceability from harvest to Grupo Jumex collection centers, SENASICA technicians are applying protocols established since 2023 in the pilot safety program for handling fresh vegetables at the Central de Abasto in Mexico City. This scheme provides technical support to producers so that they progressively implement actions to reduce the risk of physical, chemical, and microbiological contamination of fruits during post-harvest handling, selection, cleaning, disinfection, cold chain management, storage, packaging, and distribution.