Interview: Eduardo Leyson Castro Producer – Agricola San Isidro
Originally from Guasave, Sinaloa and coming from a family of farmers, Eduardo Leyson represents today Agricola San Isidro, a company that produces vegetables with 55 years in the market.
With 25 years of experience in the sector, Eduardo Leyson has become a fervent promoter of Sinaloa state inside and outside the country.
- What motivated you to participate in agriculture?
Miguel Leyson, my father, dedicated himself to agriculture in Guasave by sowing wheat, chickpeas, beans, tomatoes and green beans.
Sinaloa being a purely agricultural state, I believe that we all have near to a relative or acquaintance who is engaged in agriculture.
In 1975 my father-in-law, Juan Stamos, an excellent farmer, with much prestige and completely dedicated to the field, invited me to work in Agricola San Isidro. At first, I had a hard time leaving my family in Guasave, but I understood that I had to start a new life with Malena, my wife.
And here we are in Agricola San Isidro since 1975, a company that has obtained different prizes and that has had ups and downs like most of the agricultural ones, but always working and full of satisfaction.
- What factors do you consider differentiate Agricola San Isidro?
Personally, I think every farm has its seal.
Agricola San Isidro has been built little by little. Previously the packaging of us was in one of the greenhouses that had not been used for production and in one of the visits that I made to a packaging in Culiacan, which was first world, I realized that in no way we could consider Competition if we continued under those circumstances, we got to work and today we have a package that covers each of the needs and requirements of the company and industry.
On the other hand, for the last 25 years we have taken on the task of improving the living conditions of our workers and started working with health, education, housing, supplies, etc. Today San Isidro has the first nursery surrogate by the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) nationwide and that for us is a great achievement.
- What do you consider to be the main difficulties faced by farmers today?
The agricultural sector in general is going through different obstacles and being involved in this since 1972, I can see that many of them are cyclical.
With the Free Trade Agreement, we are competing with the best horticulturists of the world, under very unfavorable conditions. The conditions of our banking system, the difference in interest rates and credits, the relative disadvantage of coordination, communication, and other puts us in a position well below the competition. In addition, we have a very high tax burden, problems with the National Institute of Housing for Workers (INFONAVIT) and problems with the IMSS.
But despite all this, there we take it, little by little and we hope that our agricultural leaders help us to remove those stones to be able to continue advancing.
- What role does technology play in agriculture?
Today we have the technology at our fingertips. I remember when the first Dutch greenhouse sellers arrived and the first sellers of drip irrigation systems from Israel to the first agricultural expo. We thought they were crazy, we thought we did not need greenhouses if Sinaloa itself was a greenhouse and the water was too much for us.
Little by little we have mastered the harvest in the greenhouse and we have realized how the quality of the product has improved as well as the irrigation systems are very different from those of a few years ago, allowing you to even water 10 hectares in half an hour.
In addition, we have the different systems of tracking, the electronic packages that offer an added value, etc. All this technology that is within our reach, is a matter of greater access to fast and effective support to keep us competitive.
- Based on your export experience What perception do you think you have of the Sinaloa producer?
I told you that we had previously visited 10-15 buyers from the Nogales offices and personally verified the changes and improvements in our farming systems, packaging, workers’ quality of life, and so on. Likewise, journalists came and saw the advances in the agricultural fields and in the shelters.
Nowadays buyers and journalists have stopped coming and I have always said that someone sitting in Boston buying aubergines or tomatoes does not like buying it from Honduras, Panama, Florida, or Sinaloa if they do not know the background of the product.
We must keep insisting that they come and know the Sinaloa product, to see the improvements that have been made, especially in responsibility.
- Being one of the main organizers of Sinaloa Encanta, could we talk a little about this event?
Sinaloa Encanta is an event that seeks to promote the market, not only to sell more but to sell better. It aims to encourage trade between sponsors, farmers, restaurants and attendees.
Eleven Rivers was one of the sponsors of this year, is one of the producer organizations that believes in the project and here in Sinaloa, regardless of the trench where we are, everyone has the responsibility to promote the state and what is being done.
- In what way do you consider that we can change the negative perception of Sinaloa?
Promoting a different image of the state, as it intends Sinaloa Encanta.
Sinaloa is not violence, Sinaloa is 60 thousand hectares of vegetables, Sinaloa is 1 million irrigated crops, Sinaloa is a natural born generator.
What the farmers generate in the state deserves all my respect and it is important to support any initiative that can improve the conditions of workers and producers.
- What are your greatest achievements as a farmer?
Personally, working at Agricola San Isidro and making it at a good level in every way is very gratifying.
As well as positioning the label Malena, which was the initial label, in the United States and Canada market, always 2 dollars up. Likewise, it is very satisfying to have happy, healthy and outstanding workers of what happens in San Isidro.
Finally, achieving that union of the Leyson family, with several of the interested members and working in the company, I believe is one of the greatest satisfactions that I have obtained.
- Anything else you want to add?
Eleven Rivers is a project that has matured and I think it should be our seal abroad.
Being all united, participating in this project, gives us as Sinaloa producers a good identity