In order to promote the sustainable farming of oregano in the North Region of the entity, the establishment of a nursery in the municipality of Mezquitic is underway.
This nursery will play an important role in the purpose of strengthening the controlled production of oregano and thereby reducing the pressure on the native plantations of this species that is in great demand, both as a condiment, and as a raw material for various agro-industrial activities in the national market and external.
The head of the office of the Jalisco Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER,) Salvador Álvarez García, commented that this nursery will be of importance in promoting plantations induced from quality vegetative material.
The nursery intends to have at least 90,000 plants destined for the plantations that are intended to be promoted in the next year, in a step to advance in induced plantations.
The plan involves two aspects being managed in the promotion of oregano farms; the use of lands with natural shrubs where nursery plants would be introduced, and establishing farms with induced plants.
The final phase of this year’s oregano harvest is currently underway, which brought an abundant supply of oregano and a price for the producer of 25 pesos per kilogram. The price is low, but it is offset by the abundance of the product in this year's harvest.
Several actions of support are to be considered for the official programs of 2022, so that the continuity of public policies in favor of wild oregano continues. In the western and northern regions of the country, cerril oregano of the varieties Lipia Graveolens and Lipia Verlandieri, is in great demand in gastronomy, which is manifested in various dishes, such as barbecue, menudo, birria and in a great variety of sauces.
Additionally, the Center for Research and Technological Assistance of Jalisco has developed technological schemes for the use of the essential oil of oregano, which has been promising in giving added value to the product in the national market and in exports.
According to recent estimates, the Northern Region of Jalisco has the capacity to produce between 600 and 700 tons of oregano per year. But due to various factors such as the lack of labor in the area, only between 200 and 300 are distributed in each annual harvesting cycle. Another challenge is that there is no encouraging scenario because without market development, the commercial value that the product will have is not known in time for situations of speculation in order to set a good price.
SADER Jalisco first laid the foundations for a sustainable project in the use of oregano with a Territorial Development Program in 2019. The oregano producing municipalities of Jalisco are Mezquitic, Villa Guerrero, Huejuquilla El Alto, and Colotlán.