“If it’s red, it’s red, but we’ll see if it’s gold!”
By: Georgius Gotsis Fontes, Director of Veggies from Mexico

Dr. Eduardo Frias Sarmiento aptly titled his book on the history of tomato cultivation in Sinaloa “The Red Gold of Sinaloa.” In this objective historical review, Dr. Frias avoids flattery and instead captures the reality of tomato development in the state of this important crop. His analysis primarily focuses on the years from 1920 to 1956 on historical documents.

The book covers six sections, including natural and historical conditions for industry development, communication routes, the first agricultural entrepreneurs, financing, tomato production (volumes, exports, policies), and production values.

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One intriguing aspect highlighted by Dr. Frias is the visionary individuals who pioneered the industry. Initially, North Americans living in Sinaloa planted tomatoes for personal consumption around 1907. Recognizing the North American market’s potential, they began exporting. Over time, local growers emerged, often financed by North American companies like MATCO. In this way, the growers were able to produce and export. The question arises: Who profited more—the growers or the sellers? And have we truly innovated since then?

Financing played a crucial role in industry development from 1932 to 1956. The arrival of Banks like Banco de Sinaloa and Confederation of Agricultural Associations of the State of Sinaloa (CAADES) provided better and essential funding allowing horticulturists to invest more in their crops. Additionally, one of the most surprising aspects of the book that few knew about was how irrigation significantly impacted tomato production. Sinaloa’s fertile soil, although not as rich as other states of Mexico, these states could have been potential growers due to their ideal land and rainfed irrigation.

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Our Region required improved irrigation systems. The Sinaloa state was struggling (when doesn’t it happen!) thus, we see again how adversity drove progress and helped to improve and reach the top, with investments from landowners, and state, and federal governments.

Communication routes also played a pivotal role. The advent of the railroad transformed tomato transportation. Previously shipped via Altata, the lengthy route compromised tomato quality. Refrigerated train vans (with ice) allowed better conditions for shipping. As mentioned in the first line of this column he commented that the “gold” value aspect remains uncertain due to recent challenging seasons. Nevertheless, we must acknowledge that Sinaloa owes much to the “red gold”—tomatoes—which have often brought great satisfaction to growers, input sellers, and society.