Tatatila fig growers shift to Xalapa, Mexico as prices plunge

Fig producers in the municipality of Tatatila, Veracruz, faced a sharp drop in farmgate prices, with buyers offering only three to five pesos per kilogram compared with 30‑35 pesos a year earlier. Lacking any state‑run assistance programmes, about 35 local growers moved more than six tonnes of their harvest to the state capital, Xalapa, to sell directly to consumers at fifteen pesos per kilogram, with logistical help from the Tatatila municipal government.

Each farmer typically stores one to three tonnes of fruit on their farms, so the six tonnes offered in Xalapa represent only a fraction of the total crop. The growers hope that strong public demand will allow additional trips to the city, preventing the remainder of the harvest from being lost in the fields.