Pitahaya Oversupply Sends Prices Tumbling for Farmers in José María Morelos

José María Morelos, Quintana Roo — An oversupply of pitahaya this season has sent prices tumbling for growers in the municipality, who say a saturated market has forced them to sell their crop at a loss just to avoid further losses.

Sebastián Gómez, a producer from the La Pimientita ejido, said the first harvest of the season has already ended, and a second wave of fruit is expected in the coming days, which is also likely to be abundant.

He explained that at the start of the season, 30-kilogram crates were selling for 350 pesos (about $18), but as supply increased, the price dropped to as low as 150 pesos (about $8).

“By the time I had sold my crates, another truck would arrive completely full of pitahaya. There was so much fruit that the price fell; we couldn’t store it, so we had to sell it,” Gómez said.

Most of the fruit is sold at the local market in José María Morelos, where wholesalers distribute it to Cancún and Playa del Carmen, he noted.

Despite the low prices, Gómez said production expectations remain positive because his plants are still young.

“Last year we only had one harvest; now we’re going to have two. The fruit will start coming in again next week, and we expect even more production,” he concluded.