Organic Pineapple Working Group

[Organic Pineapple Working Group <opwg AT lists.ibiblio.org>]

52393765.7020104 AT hawaii.edu" type="cite"> Dear Douglas:

What a nice surprise to hear from a long-time friend. I am getting along well, better than average for my 79 years I guess, and hope the same is true for you.

Well, I am only 70 and (believe it or not) it's not the elapsed time that affects me, it's the results of the mistakes I made that require me deal with it using difficult but functional methods I developed (over time, also), when needed.

52393765.7020104 AT hawaii.edu" type="cite">You know that I still remain involved to some degree in pineapple

"Duane Batholomew" (the person and name) is permanently and inextricably associated with pineapple forever (or for as long as is humanly possible), I would think.

52393765.7020104 AT hawaii.edu" type="cite"> though I have stopped doing field research as of July of last year. However, I have been encouraged to keep up with Pineapple News for as long as I can/want to but there are people who are willing to take on the task if I decide I can't or don't want to continue.

So it's your call.

52393765.7020104 AT hawaii.edu" type="cite"> What is the status of the OPWG? Do you have regular communications

As you can see, the list-server is still up-and-running and if people don't post to it, they must be afraid (of helping someone else use their knowledge), too busy, too lazy or too disinterested to bother.  I think the first possibility mentioned is the major contributing factor.  Members join so they can benefit from the knowledge and experience of others, not so they can share what they themselves have to offer. The result is a stalemate.  But as I aid, the list is there for any and all to use at any time, and ibiblio doesn't charge me for the service.

52393765.7020104 AT hawaii.edu" type="cite">and how many people are currently on the mailing list?

I'll take a look. ... 46, total; from all over the world.  And people can still apply for membership any time - and even use it. (But you know what they say:  You can lead a horse to water but .... ).

This is unfortunate because parcelling out different aspects of a collaborative research project on organic technology would benefit everyone involved and put participants in an advantageous position compared to those that didn't join in.

I would be willing to get this set up if the interest is there on the part of opwg members.  (I wasn't going to post this to the list, but maybe I should).

52393765.7020104 AT hawaii.edu" type="cite">Anything new in regards to your work on the program with growers in Mexico or on organic pineapple production in general?

A new government assumed power in December and is busy attempting to impose a series of unpopular policies that have met considerable resistance.  (However - during the previous two PAN administrations even contemplating support for a pineapple development project was unthinkable due to gross their ineptitude and corruption).  The current administration is less bad and in any case, the doors are far more open. In fact, I expect to be meeting with the Secretary of Agriculture (about another matter, but one that can lead to re-starting that thread) in the relatively near future.

And growers in the Papaloapan Basin are still waiting for my return, which would require more funds than I currently have available to cover travel expenses and a modest salary for someone to assist me.  (It wouldn't take much).

And there is a lot more MD2 around than previously (along with plenty of Smooth Cayenne, of course).

Pineapple prices are high here at the moment, so a lot of new planting can be expected.  When those are ready for harvest, the bottom will drop out again of the market.  That's why international markets are important.  But that is difficult for local growers to understand.  Planning is not part of their culture.  They want stability without foresight or commitment, which exactly why the opwg list is inactive. They only want the commitment when it is to their own advantage (and it doesn't work that way); but without foresight, no action occurs and inaction continues to reign.

52393765.7020104 AT hawaii.edu" type="cite">I was able to visit the Dole operation in Honduras and Costa Rica in late October of last year and was taken to see their large organic pineapple operation. The plants generally looked very good and they were doing a good job of adhering to good organic practices and also doing a good job of protection the soil between crops with N-fixing ground cover.

That's interesting.  But it's still mono-culture.  In Mexico pineapple production is frequently alternated with cattle raising.  The cows come in and eat the plants, then fertilize the soil.  Many growers rent land from cattlemen to grow pineapple on.

52393765.7020104 AT hawaii.edu" type="cite">Such a practice wouldn't be profitable here because we don't have the uniform distribution of rain they enjoy. I was quite impressed.

What amount of rainfall are we talking about?  Here in Mexico's Occidental Area, rainfall in the pineapple growing area is about 600 milliliters / milometers a year, which is half of the amount received in Isla, Vercruz and one third of what Loma Bonita, Oaxaca gets.  That's pineapple here (but not in the Papaloapan Basin) is an irrigated crop. It also explains why the best pineapple this time of year is from Nayarit (here in the Occidente) - it rains less.

52393765.7020104 AT hawaii.edu" type="cite"> Thanks for doing the translation for your group. I just today received another translation from the organizers that seems to be more complete than the original.

It's also trendier and more commercially oriented. (DLV Plant is a afer-all a commercial organization - they sell their services and the course is a commercial offering designed to promote their own position in the marketplace).

52393765.7020104 AT hawaii.edu" type="cite">I will forward it to the PN mailing list.

Received.

52393765.7020104 AT hawaii.edu" type="cite">
Best regards,
Duane

To be continued:

Douglas