Yucatan is being displaced from among the main producers of habanero chili in the country, even though it already has a certificate of origin, the process for this to enter into operation is still not consolidated, which allows other states to produce Habanero and sell it to large companies.
Currently, there are at least 19 states where it is produced and according to the Federal Government’s Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service, the main producer is Sinaloa, where on average 8,735 tons are generated per year, double what is produced here in Yucatan (4,375).
Campeche reports a higher figure with 4,737 on average and other states such as Tabasco (2,720) and Veracruz (2,301) are beginning to pick up.
The promoter of the Certification of Origin of the Peninsular Habanero Chili, Juan Carlos Ledón Vadillo, indicated that this situation is because, since 2002, the work process began so that the chili produced in Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo has that designation of origin.
“This promotion that was done from Yucatán and that has already been more than two decades of intense effort, aroused the interest in producing it in other states and also created a large market for products made with Habanero such as mayonnaise, sauces, jams, chips, candy, among others, but the negative part is that local producers are not the suppliers of that market,” he explained.
This is because the authorities have not had that vision of defending what is ours; in this case, a product that has been working for more than 22 years to have a certification of origin that it already has, but that it still cannot start working properly, he added.
“For this to become a reality and reverse this negative trend and for all production, industrialization, and marketing to be done on the Peninsula (attending a market that already exists), what we need is for the designation of origin to come into force,” he said.
“To achieve this, three things are needed: one is the declaration of origin; we already have it, it was obtained in 2010, and it was published in the Official Journal of the Federation (DOF). The second is the publication of the Mexican Official Standard (NOM), which was also published in the DOF, under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy of the Federal Government back in 2017,” he explained.
Ledón Vadillo continued: “The NOM 189 (that is already a law), however, the third and equally important thing is missing, which is the integration of the Regulatory Council, which is the body that oversees compliance, verification, and certification of the NOM”.
“It is not a government agency, it is an entire production chain including farmers, producers, marketers, industrialists, state and federal officials, and the academic sector, which already exists, but has not started its operations,” the promoter of the Certification of Origin of the Peninsular Habanero Chili stated.
“This Regulatory Council was an unfulfilled promise of the previous state administration because although the State Development Plan established that the habanero chili sector would be strengthened taking into account the designation of origin through the formation and implementation of the Council, this was done half-heartedly,” he added.
“Although it was formed because the former governor Mauricio Vila Dosal signed a collaboration agreement with members of the Tequila Regulatory Council, the main reference for all the designations of origin was never implemented, the process was left incomplete”, he added.
“Even personnel from Jalisco came, but the objective was not achieved. What is needed for this to work and finally have the designation is to allocate what is called seed capital so that the Council is accredited by the Mexican authorities to verify and certify compliance with the NOM,” he explained.
That is to say, the budget was missing to get the Regulatory Council up and running, and then, yes, the real benefit comes in because the production of the Habanero Chile has to leave the Peninsula and all the big brands that today use this Chile to make their products have to use the hologram of the Council, to give it the authenticity that what they are selling is made with original chile habanero.
“That would undoubtedly boost production and technological innovation projects, the technicalization of the field, it would greatly improve the price of the product and the interesting thing is that it is a product that has worldwide demand, so we hope that the current municipal administration has the vision to finish getting the Regulatory Council up and running.
ORGANIC OPTION
Amid this situation, there are also outstanding cases of Yucatecan producers who have found a way to take advantage of the interest that this vegetable has generated, such as the Kinchiles Habanero Organic Cooperative, which began operations in 2000 with 10 partners and currently works in an area of just over two hectares in the municipality of Kinchil.
There they installed greenhouses where they produce red and orange habaneros, both with 100% certified organic processes, free of pesticides, and that allows them to sell the product at a price at least four times higher than chili that is not grown through organic methods and that is usually “heavily fumigated” to combat pests.
Federico May Cuitun, the sole administrator of the Kinchiles Habanero Organic Cooperative Society, commented that this type of variety is becoming very popular in the world, because in addition to being “hot” it is “Nutraseutic”, meaning that it is a product that nourishes and ailments because due to the way it is produced, it maintains all its “organoleptic” properties, that is, its smell, color, temperature, among others.
The great majority of organic chili buyers are from the United States and Europe, although they also have clients to whom they sell both fresh products, in paste and ground with salt, which they sell by the bucket, and they also sell some products to local stores that are related to the organic market.
In this sense, May Cuitun indicated that although consolidating the designation of origin for the habanero chili would be positive for those who dedicate themselves to its cultivation, in the case of his cooperative, it has not been something decisive in conquering markets within and outside of Mexican borders.
“Our bet is on organic farming and that is what has allowed us to tell a story that is already 17 years old. Of course, the fact that our boxes have a seal or a certification hologram is undoubtedly a plus for our product, but our customers look for and pay for organic quality, not for the designation of origin,” Federico May Cuitun from the Kinchiles Habanero Organic Cooperative Society concluded.
TYT Newsroom
