LISIANTHUS (Eustoma grandiflorum) PRODUCTION AS A STRATEGY TO REDUCE POVERTY LEVELS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES IN MEXICO

A study was conducted to produce the Lisianthus flower in order to compare the income obtained from its sale, considering costs and prices in 2024.Under rustic greenhouse conditions in San Lorenzo Jilotepequillo, Oaxaca, two planting beds were implemented with 672 plants, which were fertilized at transplanting with a dose of 110-40-40 (N, P O 25 and K 2 O per hectare) and during four months fungicides and an insecticide were applied sequentially every 15 days, in addition to irrigation and weed control.Considering the production costs, the average cost per piece was 13.38 pesos per flower, which results in a profit of 11.61 pesos per unit.Under this consideration, the economic benefit is 7,808 pesos, which divided in the four months required to be able to market the flower, is equivalent to 1,952 pesos per month.Based on the above, with the economic benefits obtained, it is only enough to cover the food needs of one person considering the 1,800.55pesos as the Extreme Poverty Line by Income in the food basket.Another scenario corresponds to planting the entire greenhouse with the flower, however, transporting and marketing 6,666 plants that would cover the greenhouse is a risk that must be considered in order not to have a negative impact, which is why government support is required for this purpose.