SYSTEMS OF AVOCADO PRODUCTION IN THE ATLANTIC COAST OF COLOMBIA
Ricardo Durán-Barón and
Enrique Daza.
Facultad
de Ingeniería. Universidad Popular del Cesar. Valledupar, Cesar.
Colombia. ricadu@latinmail.com
1.INTRODUCTION
The world avocado
production in 1998 was 2’300 000 ton, from which Colombia produced 200 000 ton
(8.6%), far from the Mexican production (34%)(1). Total area planted with
avocados in Colombia is 7581 ha, 50% of which is located in the Atlantic coast
(Departments of Cesar, Guajira and Bolivar (3 790ha), with an average
production of 18 200 ton /year, 30% in the departments of Tolima and Antioquia
and the rest in the departments of Caldas, Huila, Risaralda and Valle (2).
The avocado area
in the Atlantic coast in 1979 as monocrop or interplanted with cofee, cocoa,
banana and citrus crops, was aprox. 8 000 ha, located in the hills of San
Jacinto (Montes de María) in the Department of Bolivar and Sierra Nevada de
Santa Marta and Serranía del Perijá in
the departments of Cesar and Guajira. Lozano 1986, reported aprox 12 000 ha in
1986. Now (1999) there are aprox 5 400
ha , from which 2038 ha. are found in Montes de María and the rest in Sierra
Nevada and Serranía del Perijá (11).
2. SOCIAL SITUATION
Avocado in
Colombia is mainly cropped by small farmers with high levels of analphabetism
and with low technical levels. Producers do not have basic services like light,
water infrastructure, access roads and health centers. Avocado behaves well in
sites higher than 500 m above sea level, where social conflicts are more
pronounced, so it is a good option for Colombian peasants.
The distribution
of the population in the department of Cesar, from 1973 until 1997, when social
and violent problems have become acute due to displacement of people from rural
zones to cities is illustrated in Table 1 and Fig. 1.
Table 1.
Distribution of the population in the department of Cesar, Colombia, from
1973-1997
|
AREA |
POPULATION((%) |
|||
|
1973 |
1985 |
1993 |
1997 |
|
|
URBAN |
54.2 |
58.7 |
67.1 |
60.4 |
|
RURAL |
45.6 |
41.3 |
32.9 |
39.6 |
Fig. 1.
Distribution of the population in the department of Cesar, Colombia, from 1973-1997. Source: DANA.
3.LIMITING FACTORS
The main limiting
factor in this region is avocado wilt or root rot (Phytophthora cinnamomi),
which reduces yields in more than 70%. Annual yields of 1 million fruits in
1983 in avocado groves in the region known as Vereda los Encantos del Municipio
la Paz (one of the main producers in Colombia) came down to 200 000, due mainly
to root rot (11).
Genetic resistance
has been found in some rootstocks like Duke, G6, Úntalos y G-755 (Navarro 1986,
Puerta 1990), an in some Persea spp.,
but these are non compatible with P. americana. There are also some
problems with the stem borer and other fruit pests.
Another limiting
factor is the knowledge of the right time for fruit picking which causes great
losses due to harvesting of physiological unripe fruit or to uneven ripening.
Tree height, some times higher than 10 m, is another harvesting problem which
increases losses up to 30-50%. Post harvest losses in selection,
classification, packing, preserving, storing and shipping are also very
important in Colombia (11).
New plants come from
germinated seeds from fruits fallen on the soil, so there is not any planting
design or control of distances amongst plants. Groves are not subjected to any
technical program of fertilization, grafting, pruning, etc.
Drastic reduction
of avocado area due to these problems will cause lose of genetic resources,
soil degradation, reduction of income in 2 309 families that depend on this
crop in the Cesar region, increase in social insecurity and increase of
production costs of other crops like coffee, cocoa, etc. which use avocado as a
shadow crop (4).
4. CULTIVARS
Lorena, Trinidad,
Semill 44, Booth and Trapp are the most promising cultivars, on the base of
number and weight of fruits, pest resistance, productivity and quality in the
Palmira Valley. Peterson, Fairchild, Trapp and Booth 8 grafted on native
rootstocks in the coffee region gave the highest yield (9-16 ton/ha) and
quality. Commercial cultivars in Colombia come from USA, however, native trees
have high yields and excellent quality and must be selected and vegetatively
propagated. Antillean types are prevalent in the Atlantic coast.
5. SITUATION IN
THE CESAR AND GUAJIRA REGIONS
There are native
trees of excellent quality which must be selected and vegetatively propagated. Antillean
types are prevalent in these regions, on very fragile soils of high fertility,
moderate to extremely acid, low phosphorus availability and with high contents
of iron and manganese (3). Planted area in the Cesar region, based on crop
type, is shown in Table 2.
Table
2. Planted and harvested area in the Cesar region from 1995 to 1997.
|
Crop
type |
Planted
area (%) |
Harvested
area (ha) |
||||
|
1995 |
96 |
97 |
95 |
96 |
1997 |
|
|
Transitory |
60 |
59 |
51 |
59 |
60 |
43 |
|
Permanent |
34 |
35 |
43 |
36 |
35 |
52 |
|
Anuals |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
|
Total (ha) |
185 699 |
183 213 |
153 958 |
163 687 |
168 968 |
120 221 |
Fuente: Urpa – Cesar
Avocado
is an important crop in the Department of Cesar, 3rd in cultivated area (2842 ha)
and above fruits like mango and patilla. It is 2nd in importance on
the basis of number of families (1434) depending on this crop. Most avocado
producers have 1-3 ha (Table 3).
Table
3. Distribution of crops and producers in the Departmen of Cesar, Colombia.
|
Crop |
Total area (ha) |
Total ton production |
Number of producers 0-1
ha 1-3 3-15 > 15 Total |
||||
|
Banana |
4393 |
26 378 |
564 |
1758 |
269 |
2 |
2594 |
|
Avocado |
2842 |
25 576 |
333 |
966 |
134 |
1 |
1434 |
|
Citrus |
3172 |
37 070 |
345 |
428 |
60 |
25 |
858 |
|
Mango |
1809 |
20 943 |
327 |
188 |
31 |
22 |
568 |
|
Patilla |
2068 |
31 225 |
90 |
740 |
170 |
0 |
1000 |
|
Guava |
376 |
5 306 |
292 |
11 |
19 |
0 |
422 |
|
Guanábana |
409 |
5 543 |
339 |
126 |
28 |
0 |
493 |
|
Tomato tree
|
322 |
3 835 |
232 |
128 |
5 |
0 |
365 |
|
Lulo |
148 |
1 965 |
11 |
55 |
0 |
0 |
166 |
|
Mora |
44 |
540 |
88 |
25 |
0 |
0 |
113 |
|
Others |
197 |
4 425 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
15 800 |
162 805 |
2 721 |
4 526 |
716 |
50 |
8013 |
Conventional
systems of harvesting, transporting and storing in the Cesar region cause up to
30% losses. The climateric behavior of this fruit makes the period from harvesting
to consumption very short, aprox 5 days (5). Post harvest losses amount up to
7673 ton due to physical damages and overmaturation (4).
6. USES, MARKETING
AND PROJECTIONS
Avocado
in Colombia is consumed mainly fresh in meals. Large fruits (500 g) are
preferred. Consumption in Valledupar is estimated in 581 700(kg/year) (2).
Avocado
production in the Atlantic coast area is transported to large urban centers
(Barranquilla, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Bucaramanga, Santa Fe de Bogota) in trucks
without refrigeration or temperature control. There are some isolated cases of
exporting 200 g fruits from the Department of Bolivar to the USA and to
Caribbean islands (2).
Colombia
has aprox 10 000 ha, with an average yield of 10 ton/ha to satisfy the national
markets.
Quality
standards for national markets are: healthy and clean fruits, with firm
texture, without pedicel, without spots, scars, cuts, or insect or pathogen
damages. Yellow pulp, minimum fiber contents, with a minimum of 8 mm thickness,
without internal black spots; seed must be adhered to the pulp.
7. RESEARCH
PROPOSSAL:
There
is an agreement of technical and financial cooperation between Universidad
Popular del Cesar, Committee of Coffee Producers from Cesar and Guajira,
Corpoica, ICA and Sena for a project that pretends to improve avocado with a
support of US$ 120,000 for the first year. The activities which are under way
are:
a.
Identification of planting
materials with resistance to adverse conditions and fruit quality.
b.
Adaptation of technics for the
agronomic management of the crop.
c.
Optimum time for harvest
d.
Loss assessment and improvement of
harvest and post harvest management.
e.
Fruit industrialization
f.
Transference of agronomic technics.
8. BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.
Aguacate: un producto con potencial comercial. Revista
mercados internacionales. Trópico No. 1. Junio de 1999.
2.
Departamento de mercadeo. Generalidades sobre el mercado
del aguacate en Colombia.
3.
Duran, Ricardo. Estado actual de los suelos agrícolas del
departamento del Cesar. En informe anual programa regional de suelos.
CORPOICA. Regional tres. Valledupar.
4.
Estadísticas secretaria de agricultura departamental
(URPA).
5.
Gutiérrez de Piñeres, Carlos
Alberto. 1996. Estudio para el manejo de poscosecha en aguacate en la región
del Cesar. En: tesis de grado. UNISUR. Bogotá.
6.
Lozano, Mauricio. 1986. Generalidades sobre el cultivo del
aguacate. En: curso de actualización de frutas tropicales. SIADA, Medellín,
junio 16-20. p. 78-89.
7.
Morales, Orlando. 1994. El cultivo del aguacate. En: Frutas
tropicales (memorias de curso). ICA-CORPOICA. Espinal, Tolima,
mayo. p. 90-96.
8.
Navarro, Rafael. 1986. Enfermedades del aguacate. En: Curso
de actualización de frutas tropicales. SIADA, Medellín, junio 16-20. p.
109-112.
9.
Puerta, Oscar. 1990. Enfermedades del Aguacate. En:
Producción de Frutales en el valle del Cauca. ASIAVA, Palmira, Valle. p. 96-98.
Informe final sobre
producción del aguacate en la Costa Atlántica. Convenio Corpoica – Sena.
