Sustainable Agriculture taking the spotlight

Javier Valdés, General Director of Syngenta Agro and one of MBN’s Expert Contributors, wrote about some aspects to take into consideration toward achieving sustainable agriculture. In Mexico, agriculture has consolidated itself as a leading economic activity, spurring sustained growth in the primary and agro-industrial sectors. A problem nowadays is the lack of education and materials to develop safe and sustainable agriculture. There is still a massive market of illegal pesticides used to produce crops preventing the industry from embracing new technologies that will also work better in the long term.

 “Counterfeit, non-authorized and adulterated crop protection products do not face any controls or regulations and can cause irreversible harm to the health of the person who uses the product. They can also have strong environmental impacts such as soil degradation, air and water pollution, as well as an impact on wildlife. The noncontrolled residues left in produce can also affect the final consumers’ health,” says Valdés. Clear channels of communication, information and awareness are necessary so farmers and dealers can use the right products to build more sustainable agriculture.

 Interested in more? Here are the week’s major headlines in Agribusiness & Food!

• Mexico and the Netherlands have been developing a sustainable alliance to create strategies and technologies for the southeast of Mexico. During a virtual meeting hosted by Víctor Villalobos Arámbula, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Netherlands’ Ambassador in Mexico, Wilfred Mohr, it was said that Mexico’s efforts in the agriculture sector should be “beneficial for communities in conditions of poverty and extreme poverty, where their (agricultural programs) implementation increases development potential,” according to Villalobos.

•  “Producción para el Bienestar” benefited approximately 400,000 farmers from Chiapas and Veracruz. This program has grown to become an asset that helps to boost Mexican agriculture. “The program boosts and strengthens investment capacity among producers, which stimulates the rural economy,” Víctor Suárez Carrera, SADER’s Deputy Minister, said. According to the MBN article, this program is part of the government’s agenda aimed at encouraging the production of different grains, such as corn, wheat, beans, rice, coffee and sugar cane.

• According to SADER, aquaculture products including, sardine, tilapia, horse mackerel, curvina, dogfish, bream, shrimp and sawfish will be available in large quantities for consumption and at an affordable price. All this in time for the season of Lent and Easter 2021.

• Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious-contagious disease of chronic and progressive course that affects cattle, caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium Bovis, according to the National Producer of Veterinary Biologicals. On a recent SADER release, it is mentioned that 86 percent of the territory is now in the eradication phase against TB.SADER has also made a formal request to the US to check Mexico’s regions’ zoosanitary status before reclassifying them to ensure ongoing cattle exports.