An avant-garde 15-hectare agropark for the production of blueberries has already been established in Totatiche, as a platform for an innovative induction project for temperate berries in the Northern Region.
This is the result of a public-private alliance in which the firm Bloom Farms becomes the tractor company.
Governor Enrique Alfaro Ramírez and the head of the office of the Jalisco Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER,) Salvador Álvarez García, visited this agribusiness, and have witnessed the gradual crystallization of a project of great relevance in what has been the promotion of productive investment to this Jalisco demarcation in the present administration.
Álvarez García noted that this investment is the result of the sum of wills between the Government of Enrique Alfaro and the private corporation to introduce a product of great commercial value to an area that requires alternatives in the generation of wealth and detonation of sources of employment.
This project, called Totatiche Greenhouses, is located in the town of La Sementera, 11 kilometers from the municipal seat of Totatiche, and will be operated by the company Bloom Farms, which has extensive experience in the production of this fruit in the Amatitán region. It will be a strong generator of jobs and the first stone for a possible development of high-value protected agriculture that takes advantage of the favorable agro-climatic conditions in the region.
It started in its financial support with a government support of 10 million pesos from SADER, and the intervention of “A Toda Máquina” for the movement of soils. The company has invested to date around 25 million additional pesos.
The objective is to plant 15 hectares of fully equipped blueberry production with the capacity to produce approximately 220 tons per year.
In addition, the project will be able to generate around 20 permanent jobs and up to 50 temporary jobs during the harvest.
The progress at the moment involves the construction of the 15 hectares of protected agriculture with a special design for the climate of the region, including the completion of the irrigation system and water reservoir from January 2021. The blueberry plant is scheduled to be established at the starting of next fall of this year. The Arana variety is planned to be produced. Larger than the average blueberry, the Arana blueberry is also crunchier and considered to be tastier.
Blueberries are packed with health benefits. They are very high in antioxidants, helping to fight against cancer, heart disease, and other effects of aging. They have a low glycemic index, to help regulate blood sugar levels, and they are an excellent source of Vitamin C, E, potassium and fiber.
Among the technical peculiarities of the project is the special design of irrigation equipment that contemplates the growth phases of the plants, which allows recycling of the water used for the nutrition of blueberries.
In the fiscal years of the present administration, the Northern Region of Jalisco has received unprecedented support for agricultural activities from SADER-Jalisco.
The support has involved various projects, such as the Territorial Development Programs for various products such as Persian lemon in Bolaños, cerril oregano and family gardens in Mezquitic, calf raising for export in Villa Guerrero, and chili peppers, blueberry and fig in Colotlán. In addition there is also a project to plant chili peppers by the Tajín company in Colotlán and Totatiche.
In Huejuquilla el Alto, SADER Jalisco has induced contract farming in the cultivation of sunflower with the support of the Sesajal corporation.
Arándanos Selectos, S.A. de C.V., of Bloom Farms is an agricultural company specializing in export quality blueberries only. They use state-of-the-art technologies for their production.
Based on sustainability, innovation, and taking advantage of strategic agricultural locations, together with knowledge of agriculture, they have built the foundations to select the most current technologies to become the most sustainable blueberry producers in the world.
All this and a very critical discrimination based on size, bloom, and color help them guarantee a superior product with a longer shelf life. They also can sustain year-round production.
Bloom Farms is a Socially Responsible Company with the premises:
Innovation of technologies in the field
Generation of a growing number of jobs, 60% by women
Gender equity
Optimize resource consumption
The reconversion of the fields
Reforestation to support the recharge of the municipality's groundwater mantles
Value to the customer