Western Cuban province develops important agricultural project

ARTEMISA, Cuba, May 24 (ACN) The identification of undocumented species and the socialization of the crop in Cuba reflect the success of the pitahaya cultivation project led by the Scientific and Technological Base Business Unit (UCTB by its acronym in Spanish) Alquizar, in Artemisa, since 2020.

Known as dragon fruit because it has an irregular shell with flakes, pitahaya (of the Hylocereus genus) is rich in polyphenols, which is why it has antioxidant properties, while its consumption helps digestion and the prevention of cardiovascular diseases because the seeds contain essential fatty acids such as omega-3.
Reiniel Vallester Cruzata, in charge of the project at the UCTB, belonging to the Tropical Fruit Growing Research Institute, told the Cuban News Agency exclusively that in 2020 the collection of pitahayas was established in areas of the entity, with four species that already bore fruit and four others in the seedling nursery phase.

The objectives of the initiative are to investigate the behavior of this cactus plant in the Cuban climate and in the soil of Artemisa, which is mostly red ferrallitic, to characterize the cultivars (groups of artificially selected plants) and to elaborate an instructive to introduce its cultivation on a larger scale in the country, he said.

Vallester Cruzata highlighted that they identified five pitahaya producers in Artemisa and settled the crop in green areas of the BRASCUBA cigarette factory, in the Mariel Special Development Zone, as part of the UCTB's contribution to the fruit transformation of that economic center.