Mara Lezama Launches 7M-Peso Rural Assistance Program in Quintana Roo

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Gov. Mara Lezama Espinosa launched the 2026 Rural Sector Assistance Program, backed by more than 7 million pesos entirely from state funds, to bring technical support to agricultural, livestock, fishing and aquaculture producers in eight municipalities.

At a ceremony in the Cuna del Mestizaje Hall of the Government Palace, Lezama said the program marks a shift in rural public policy by prioritizing direct work in the field and maintaining permanent contact with rural communities.

“Rural development begins when knowledge reaches the places that need it most, when a producer learns a new technique to improve their harvest,” she said, adding that the program is part of a strategy to create shared prosperity and expand opportunities to the state’s most remote communities.

Lezama also recognized the extension agents, who will act as the link between the state government and producer families.

Program Doubles Number of Extension Agents

The program expands the team of specialists from 21 last year to 42 this year and will directly serve 1,185 producers, according to state officials. The beneficiaries include:

• 260 agricultural producers
• 720 rural development participants
• 80 fishing sector producers

Kits and Equipment Delivered for Fieldwork

The advisers will offer guidance to improve productivity in the agricultural, livestock, fishing and aquaculture sectors. Jorge Carlos Aguilar Osorio, secretary of agricultural, rural and fisheries development (SEDARPE), said the specialists are key to strengthening Quintana Roo’s rural economy through knowledge transfer, innovation and specialized technical advice.

During the ceremony, authorities handed out vests, caps, credentials and work equipment to the extension agents as they prepare to visit rural communities this year. The event also included the state’s anticorruption secretary, Reyna Arceo Rosado, and program service providers Yesenia Jardines Salazar and Jaime Arcadio Miranda Gamboa.