Page 29 - 國合會2016電子書-英文

Operations

3 Case Study

Healthy Avocado Seedling
Production Project

Jacobo Paz, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Honduras (second from the
left), visiting the avocado project exhibition.

Avocado is a native fruit of Strengthening healthy seedling e Inocuidad Agroalimentaria, SENASA)
Central and Southern America. production technology and of Honduras to establish standards
Its high nutritional value earned establishing standards for for propagation of healthy avocado
the fruit a nickname, poor man’s seedling propagation seedling. Moreover, to improve the
butter. According to a study of With an eye on Taiwan’s extensive competence of local technicians, the
the Government of Honduras, experience in seedling production and TaiwanICDF recommended sending
the potential market demand for management, Honduras teamed up Honduran personnel to Guatemala
avocado reaches 56,000 tons per with Taiwan to implement the Healthy for professional training on avocado
year. However, avocado production Avocado Seedling Production Project. cultivation and collaborated with
in Honduras is limited and the The TaiwanICDF collaborated with the Universidad Zamorano to offer
quality undesirable; therefore, 90 Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock specialized training courses in avocado
percent of the avocado sold in (Secretaria de Agricultura y Ganaderia, farming. The courses provided
the country are imported. Given SAG) and Directorate for Agriculture opportunities for industrial-academic
the great marketing potential of Science and Technology (Direccion de cooperation, aiming to lay a solid
avocado and, to resolve these Ciencia y Tecnologia Agropecuaria, foundation for the avocado industry in
issues, the government has placed DICTA) of Honduras to improve the the country. Follow-up work will focus
the development of the avocado facilities of the experimental station, on reinforcing seedling propagation at
industry as one of the country’s key turning the station into the base for the rootstock nursery, grafting healthy
agricultural activities. production and supply of healthy seedlings, expanding avocado farming
In recent years, the Honduran seedlings. The project team also areas and improving management
authorities have been promoting planned training courses to improve and counseling capacity, so that
cultivation of the Hass avocado, the technicians’ skills in seedling Honduras can raise its productivity
which is known for its creamy and propagation and agricultural extension and competitiveness and increase
buttery aroma, in the southwestern capacity, as well as farmers’ cultivation the supply of domestic avocado by at
mountain area. Although this area’s techniques. A rootstock nursery was least 17 times.
climate and environment are suitable also constructed to ensure the source
for this fruit, compounding factors, of seedlings for avocado grafting,
such as lack of capacity for seedling and 35,000 Hass avocado will be
production and management grafted each year to stabilize supply of
and absence of an independent seedlings to local farmers.
seedling center, have caused nearly Since the project was initiated on
half of the total 400 hectares of October 15, 2015, the TaiwanICDF
Hass avocado seedlings to die off, has completed construction of a 17X
hampering the avocado industry budwood nursery, a roostock nursery
Estimated increase
from further development. and a seedling nursery and assisted in domestic avocado
the Honduran government and the supply by 17 times
National Agri-Food Safety and Health
Service (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad

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