Mexico trains technicians to protect 700,000 hectares of coffee from pests

Mexico's Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development has trained 48 specialized technicians to combat major pests, such as coffee rust and the coffee berry borer, threatening the nation's coffee crops.

The training, conducted by the National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica) in Huatusco, Veracruz, aims to protect more than 700,000 hectares of coffee plantations. The initiative targets the 10 primary producing states: Chiapas, Colima, Estado de México, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, and Veracruz, which together accounted for 99.4 percent of national production in 2025.

Experts from various academic and research institutions, including UNAM, Chapingo, and the Colegio de la Frontera Sur, participated in the program. The training focused on improving identification, diagnosis, monitoring, and integrated pest management, as well as agronomic and nutritional practices to standardize phytosanitary responses across coffee-growing regions.