The Agricultural Business Group (GAG), belonging to the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture (Minag), has ventured into the export of habanero chili, a product that today has a stable demand in the international market and that presents good profitability.
Juan Carlos Anzardo Ávila, head of vegetables and protected crops of the GAG, reported today at a press conference that the productive potential of this crop ranges between 30 and 40 tons per hectare. It is a resistant plant, which requires few insecticides, since it is hardly attacked by pests, and it can be harvested in a short period of time after being sown, he stressed. The highest demand for this hot pepper occurs between the end of November and April, especially in Canadian and European markets, in the latter, sales decrease in summer as they harvest their own chilies, he said. A new collaborative project between research institutes and the University of Havana have also given the possibility of analyzing the amount of capsaicin contained in the fruit (how spicy it is or not) which allows evaluating and agreeing on prices. The ton of habanero chili has a price in the international market of between 2,300 and 2,900 dollars, clarified Anzardo Ávila, and pointed out that this product is marketed fresh, so it must be transported by plane, which has been seen limited during the COVID-19 stage due to flight restrictions. The profitability of chili is remarkable, for example, one of the leading products of agriculture is coal, which after an arduous production process is sold at 300 or 400 dollars per ton, and at this time both its demand and the availability of ships for transportation, he explained. The manager recalled that as of October last year, the liquidity is returned to the companies that export, from the result of the sale they obtain 80 percent, which has constituted an incentive to increase volumes. He also pointed out that exports also contribute to the development and availability of food in the country, because of what is sown for export, only certain fruits are chosen and around 70 percent remain in Cuban territory. In addition to the habanero pepper and charcoal, the GAG ??exports the Md2 pineapple, and intends to develop this line much more, although it is an arduous process because it requires too many inputs for its attention. The intention is to reach two thousand hectares planted with this variety, so that with the proceeds from its sale other types of pineapple can be developed, such as the Spanish red, with which some exports have already been made, he said. Some levels of ginger, sweet potato with orange mass, turmeric in small volumes and aubergine have also been marketed in European markets (the Netherlands, France, United Kingdom) and Canada, with competitive prices. At the initiative of the producers, new productions have been encouraged for this purpose, such as lemon, avocado, donkey banana (leaves and flower) and sour orange.