Jalisco Strengthens Banana Crop Health with Drones, Investing 930,000 Pesos

930k MXN: Jalisco Reinforces Banana Crop Health with Drones

Plant health has become a strategic factor in preserving the productivity of Jalisco’s agricultural lands. Under this premise, the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development of Jalisco, through the Agency for Agricultural Food Safety, Inocuidad, and Quality (ASICA), has launched Phase II of its Black Sigatoka (Pseudocercospora fijiensis) intervention for banana crops in two municipalities on the Jalisco coast.

The strategy involves treating 310 hectares identified as high-risk zones, with concentrated efforts in Cihuatlán and Tomatlán. In Cihuatlán, 110 hectares in the town of El Rebalse will be addressed, while in Tomatlán, the intervention will cover 200 hectares located in La Cumbre and La Pintada. The objective is to contain the presence of the fungus and reduce the risk of it spreading to other productive areas.

Drones and Fungicides to Protect 310 Hectares in Jalisco

For this second phase, the government has allocated 930,000 Mexican pesos to acquire 7,500 kilograms of fungicide, which will be applied in a schedule of nine applications per municipality. The distribution of the product will be carried out using ASICA Jalisco’s drones, integrating technology into a strategy aimed at targeted interventions in identified priority zones.

Applications commenced on September 15th and will extend through the first half of January 2027. The use of drones allows for direct application of the treatment to surfaces deemed highest risk and is part of a phytosanitary prevention and response strategy designed to curb the spread of the disease. This intervention will directly benefit 73 producers located in the high-risk areas. However, the broader productive impact is significant, as these actions indirectly aim to protect the 330 producers who comprise the banana-producing zone.

Why Black Sigatoka Represents an Economic Risk for Jalisco

The significance of this strategy lies in the fact that Black Sigatoka is not solely a sanitary issue for crops; its presence can directly impact agricultural productivity. The fungus attacks the leaves of banana plants, limiting their photosynthetic capacity. When a plant’s ability to photosynthesize is compromised, the growth and development of banana bunches are also affected. This can result in smaller, lighter fruits, thus reducing the potential yield of plantations.

Consequently, preventive measures take on an economic dimension: protecting crop health means preserving farmers’ productive capacity and mitigating the risk of losses associated with reduced fruit quality and yield. In agricultural operations, prevention can be a decisive factor compared to the costs incurred if a disease is allowed to spread to a larger productive area.

Cihuatlán and Tomatlán Concentrate Containment Strategy

The intervention in Cihuatlán and Tomatlán aims to establish a focused response at points identified as highest risk. The difference in the area treated also reflects the scale of the intervention: while Cihuatlán focuses on 110 hectares in El Rebalse, Tomatlán will implement actions across 200 hectares in La Cumbre and La Pintada. The plan includes nine applications per municipality during the established period, allowing for a continuous strategy of attention and prevention over the coming months.

ASICA’s involvement also encompasses phytosanitary assistance and monitoring, crucial elements for ensuring the treatment application is part of a preventive policy rather than just a response to the fungus’s presence.

Plant Health: A Condition for Agricultural Competitiveness in Jalisco

The second phase against Black Sigatoka demonstrates how technology, prevention, and technical assistance are increasingly playing a vital role in protecting agricultural activities. For producers, maintaining crop health means safeguarding their yields and, consequently, the continuity of an activity dependent on biological conditions that can rapidly alter productivity.

The strategy deployed on the Jalisco coast, therefore, represents a preventive investment: 930,000 pesos to treat 310 hectares and directly and indirectly protect 330 producers. The challenge will be to maintain phytosanitary surveillance and evaluate the results of the applications until January 2027. Beyond treatment for a specific fungus, this experience offers a premise for the agricultural sector: in an environment where productivity increasingly relies on the ability to anticipate risks, plant health is also becoming a tool for agricultural competitiveness.

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