Due to the boom that the mezcal and tequila agave has had in Michoacán and the importance that bats have in its pollination, state authorities have expressed themselves in favor of applying the Bat Friendly seal to the crops of the plant.
According to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the Tequila Interchange Project, this certification is based on five percent of a plantation being destined to feed these specimens and carry out their functions in the environment.
It certifies the production of beverages that come from the maguey so that it is sustainable, destining 5% of a plantation to allow it to flower and to feed a population of bats, said researcher David Calderón in past interviews with El Sol de Morelia.
In light of this, the head of the Ministry of the Environment (Secma), Alejandro Méndez López, stressed the importance of producers implementing these actions since they not only preserve pollinators but also improve the genetic quality of their crops.
It would be something that would benefit many producers because if they let their best specimens pollinate, they would make a genetic improvement of their product, those that have more sugars and those that capture more biomass. Bat Friendly is what is preferred,
assured the official.
Michoacán has three species of bats that are dedicated to the pollination of agaves and that help their growth. These are the magueyero mayor, the magueyero menor and the trumped bat, according to studies by the Michoacana University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH).
For her part, the director of the Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation (ICTI), Alejandra Ochoa Zarzosa, pointed out that it is already necessary to begin creating public policies so that biodiversity conservation seals are applied.
Cultivation practices, in this case of agaves, must be more sustainable. We know that without bats there is no tequila or mezcal. These types of pollinators are required for agriculture,
explained the doctor.
Researchers from the College of Michoacán (Colmich), in the state there are four thousand 500 hectares destined for the planting of seven million agaves of the Chino, Chato, Azul and Espadín species where a large quantity of distillates are produced.
In an investigation carried out by the journalist of this publishing house, Guadalupe Martínez, there are 30 Michoacan municipalities that are located as the main producers of this plant.
These are Briseñas, Chavinda, Chilchota, Churintzio, Ecuandureo, Ixtlán, Jacona, Jiquilpan, La Piedad, Marcos Castellanos, Nicolás de Regules, Numarán, Pajacuarán, Penjamillo and Purépero.
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The entities of Sahuayo, Tangamandapio, Tangancícuaro, Tanhuato, Tlazazalca, Venustiano Carranza, Vista Hermosa, Yurécuaro, Zacapu, Zamora and Zináparo also stand out for their crops.
In turn, the Center for Research and Assistance in Technology and Design of the State of Jalisco (Ciatej) stated that at least 130 thousand liters of mezcal are produced annually in the territory, being one of the ones that contribute the most to the country in this industry.
The Voluntary Area for the Conservation of El Tocuz, located near the municipality of Acuitzio, and Don Mateo mezcal are the only two brands in the state that have the Bat Friendly seal for allocating part of their crops to be pollinated by bats.
Source: elsoldezamora
