I was born into a family deeply rooted in farming culture. My grandfather, my father and now I have devoted ourselves wholeheartedly to working the land in the states of Sonora and Sinaloa. In 2017, after traditional crops such as sorghum, wheat and corn lost profitability, we set out to find alternative crops with export value. We began exploring the possibility of planting blueberries in the region. However, this fruit had never been grown in the area; at the time it was a gamble, and bringing the project to life was very risky. Fortunately, thanks to the teamwork of MERCABERRIES and the experience I had gained marketing agricultural inputs globally, I was able to put together the supply chain needed to adapt blueberry growing to Sinaloa. It was the beginning of DIDIHU®, as I saw a great opportunity to improve the technology available at the time.
From hands-on experience managing berry crops, I gathered a great deal of information and data to improve agro-technologies such as: pots designed to hold substrates (POTHU®), coconut fiber substrates (FIBERMIX®) and accessories such as ground cover, clips and injection-molded plastic parts, among others. This has given me the opportunity to help many growers in Sinaloa transition to blueberries and to the #SoilFree hydroponic technique, which helps prevent soil-borne diseases, enables more precise nutrition and delivers productivity far superior to growing in soil. A very important part of my work is advising them so they make the best decisions about their technology packages, since the crop is relatively new to the area and growers are still experimenting with different management practices to improve plant performance, such as plastic films for protection, different substrate mixes, nutrition techniques, etc. My approach has always been to have a frank conversation, drawing on my own experience as a grower, that adds to other growers' judgment when making decisions (GROWER-GROWER).
Boosting berry production represents a unique opportunity for Sinaloa, since we have logistics and production-chain advantages far superior to those of the rest of Mexico. Today there are an estimated 1,200 ha of blueberries, with double-digit annual growth expected. Our state has always been a land of entrepreneurial people who work very hard every day to keep us an economic hub in the food chain and a global example, thanks to the major agro-industrial companies that represent us. Personally, it is a great source of pride to represent my state around the world, showing what we are capable of, not only from the trenches as growers, but also from the DIDIHU® platform, which shares agricultural input innovation and technology worldwide. I invite agribusiness entrepreneurs to join in producing berries and other high-value export crops. We are, and will continue to be, leaders in agricultural production and innovation.
LET'S GROW TOGETHER!
RAÚL MERCADO
DIDIHU co-founder / RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
To learn more about this topic, here is the link to the article from Blueberries Consulting
Growers succeed in producing potted blueberries in the region
