Given the need for labor to till Zacatecas’s fields, as young people prefer to study or work in manufacturing or automotive industries, Undersecretary of Agriculture Juan Manuel Martínez García affirmed that a greater focus must be placed on the use of technology to help the state regain its top ranking in agricultural products.
After explaining that the average age of many producers is over 50 and that young people are not getting involved in agricultural work, the state official warned that in Zacatecas, “the countryside is running out of people to work.”
Faced with this labor shortage, he maintained, “what we need is to increase technology through mechanization, modernization, and the equipment of production units; hence the need for our state’s agricultural policy.”
He reiterated that this sector continues to be the driving force of Zacatecas, since “the majority of rural inhabitants are dedicated to the countryside, and when it produces, the economies of the municipalities and cities are activated.”
POSITIONING BEANS
Martínez García explained that the programs promoted by the state government, especially the delivery of tractors, have placed Zacatecas in first place nationwide in agricultural machinery technology, and “this has helped farmers advance as quickly as possible when there is moisture.”
He emphasized that the federal government is working to position beans nationally through two initiatives: the Seed Production for Well-being (Prosebien) plant and the processing plant in Sombrerete, where this 100 percent Zacatecan legume will be collected and packaged.
With these two strategies, he emphasized, “we seek to increase productivity and ensure farmers obtain better yields, and to regain the position of Zacatecas beans, which are one of the most important in the country.”
Source: ntrzacatecas
