Current status of litchi cultivation in producing municipalities of Veracruz and Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

The litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) Is an exotic fruit of growing productive interest in the states of Veracruz and Oaxaca, Mexico, has good supply in the external market and represents an alternative to generate economic income to producers; however, it has some limitations that prevent it from being potentialized as a profitable crop in some states of Mexico. The objective was to analyze the current situation of litchi cultivation and producers in three municipalities of Veracruz and Oaxaca and identify the limiting factors for their development. A survey was prepared and applied in March and April 2017 to 18 producers from the selected municipalities, integrating the information into a database. The results reveal that in the municipalities of Veracruz each producer has an average of 2.16 ha of planted area, with an average yield of 5.2 t ha^-1, while in Oaxaca they have an average extension of 30 ha with average yields of 4.6 t ha^-1 one. The majority of production is organic. According to the perception of the producers, the main constraints of the crop are the low yields of production, the ignorance of the crop and the few marketing channels in both states. It is considered that litchi has great potential to be promoted with support programs, infrastructure and commercialization, which would allow the crop to increase its profitability and productivity.