Located in the municipality of Linares, Nuevo León, HyFood - Hydroponic Premium Crops is a company dedicated to the production of different varieties of habanero peppers in hydroponic system. Since its founding in 2017, they have been clear about their goal: to produce high-value fruits, where they help ecosystems and offer a qualified product to consumers. To achieve this, the implementation of an integrated pest management system supported by Koppert's natural solutions has been fundamental.
For more than 4 years, Koppert and HyFood have successfully collaborated in the implementation of an IPM program, which has facilitated the protection of their crops without the use of agrochemicals and has allowed them to comply with the legal framework for entry into the U.S. market, one of the most important and demanding at a global level.
Looking for a reliable partner
To be consistent with its philosophy, HyFood needed to minimize its agrochemical applications. To achieve this, the implementation of an integrated pest management program was necessary.
"We started looking for alternatives and found Koppert... at the beginning of the establishment of the biological control tools, their consultants showed us the range of possibilities they had to establish in our crop. After doing the relevant studies and tests, they recommended us to use the products that have worked very well so far," said Martin Salazar, HyFood's production manager.
One of the key factors for the successful implementation of the biological control program was the training of personnel in pest monitoring and the release of beneficial agents such as Amblyseius swirskii (Swirski Ulti-Mite), Phytoseiulus persimilis (Spidex Vital Plus), Orius laevigatus (Thripor-L) and Catolaccus hunteri (Catopar). For Adriana Ramirez, pest monitoring supervisor, the willingness of Koppert consultants in this process was vital. "It has been a very good experience because we have acquired knowledge and skills to be able to identify pests such as whitefly, red spider mite and thrips in time and release in a timely manner the beneficial that each one requires and thus be able to harvest a good product".
A certified product at the next level
Mexico is the leading exporter of several varieties of chili, representing 90% of total world consumption. In the last 10 years, exports of this fruit have had an average annual increase of 1.8% in volume and 11.4% in economic value, with the main client of Mexican chili being the United States, a country to which around 99% of the total volume exported is destined. "One of the main challenges we face in exporting to the United States is that there is a legal framework that prohibits the use of certain chemical molecules in the crop. We have complied with these requirements thanks to biological control," said Salazar.
In addition to the benefits of access to export markets, HyFood improves its hydroponic production processes thanks to the compliance required by international certifiers that endorse its habaneros as a safe and innocuous product.
The collaboration between Koppert and HyFood is another example of how implementing an integrated pest management program based on biocontrol can open doors to international markets and maximize the yield and productivity of your crop.