Agrotechnology

Characterization of aloe vera production (Aloe barbadensis, Miller), in Yucatán, Mexico

10^th International Conference on AGRICULTURE & HORTICULTURE

October 02-04, 2017 London, UK

Diana América Reyna Izaguirre, Sergio Roberto Márquez-Berber, Aurelio Pedroza-Sandoval, Pedro Pablo Ramírez-Moreno and Ramón Valdivia-Alcalá

Chapingo Autonomous University, México

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Agrotechnology

Abstract:

Mexico is the country with the highest production of aloe in America. It is a semi-permanent crop, considered within organic and non-traditional products. Due to its properties it is used as raw material in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The state of Yucatan is the second producer of aloe in temporary in Mexico. It was established as an alternative crop, due to the near disappearance of the henequen crop in the beginning and as part of the search for raw material supply areas for the established industry in the United States. A diagnosis was made of the current situation of production-processing and aloe vera market. The profile of the producer, his properties and the status of his plantations were obtained. Producer profile: The average age of the producer is 56.8 years, in terms of gender, one in three producers is female (36%). Regarding the educational level, 45.4% have a basic level and the rest have a higher level of education. Profile of their land: Aloe producers are very small, since the average area is 9.4 ha, but almost 57% have an average area of less than 1 ha. Plantation status: 45% have their plantations taken care of, 11% in the neglected category, 24% abandoned and the rest in conversion. Some producers have abandoned their plantations, due to the difficulties in leaf marketing and lack of a safe market. Only in the state of Yucatan does the Sistema Producto Sabila A.C. (SPS), which has helped the permanence of the crop. It is considered that an alternative to improve the profitability of the producers, is the formation of small companies that can manufacture fine handicrafts products for sale to hotels in the tourist areas of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Biography :

Diana América Reyna Izaguirre is Professor of the Economic Administrative area at the Department of Agroindustrial Engineer of Chapingo Autonomous University (UACh) in Mexico since 2007. She has been a teacher undergraduate students since 2007, lecturing more than 10 subjects. She has been the director and thesis adviser for more than 25 undergraduate students. She has given some lectures and courses-workshops in universities in Mexico. She has been responsible for several cultural diffusion, social service projects. She is promoter of numerous international agreements, academic exchange and internships at the UACh. Hers main lines of research focus on the study of value chain, aloe vera system and non- traditional products.