José María Morelos, Quintana Roo — A farmer from the community of Kancabchen has achieved what many thought impossible: cultivating the wild Ma’ax chili, a variety that typically grows only through natural seed dispersal by birds.
José del Carmen Chuc Tun has managed to germinate seeds and transplant seedlings of this small but extremely spicy pepper on his plot, producing several productive plants.
“People around here don’t really know how to plant it, but it can be done,” Chuc Tun said.
The Ma’ax chili usually appears in the wild after birds consume the fruit and scatter the seeds, making controlled cultivation rare. Chuc Tun’s success not only offers a new agricultural alternative but also helps preserve a traditional crop that is part of the region’s identity.
With its intense heat and unique characteristics, the chili has high market potential. Chuc Tun’s plants produce fruit nearly year-round, demonstrating that even wild crops can be domesticated with knowledge and practice.
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