Mazamari, one of the districts in the province of Satipo, Junín, was one of the areas of the central jungle that suffered the sombre, tragic and bloody era of terrorism more intensely. When peace was gradually re-established in the country, the remnants of Sendero Luminoso joined the drug cartels here. Since then, violence and chaos started being called "narco-terrorism."
Since 10 years ago, however, the coca crops have gradually been replaced by golden pineapples. Reinaldo Camarena was the forerunner of this initiative, which is slowly starting to make this fertile area a much safer place.
Upon arrival to the Leticia holding, on the outskirts of the district, Mari Camarena, daughter of the brave and visionary producer who decided to take the first step to change the fate of his people, welcomes us with some tasty golden pineapple chunks. The sweet and juicy fruit convinces our palate of a truth that few dispute: these are the best pineapples in the world.
"We have pure Golden pineapples. Although there are also other varieties, such as the Hawaiian and Cayenne, producers are solely devoted to the Golden. It reaches higher prices and it is richer. Furthermore, it is juicy and has an attractive colour."
Costa Rican pineapples
The family was not always committed to pineapples. According to Mari, the more than 10 hectares that make up the farm initially housed orange crops. His father, Reynaldo, worked with citrus fruits for 30 years. But a decade ago, he decided to import Costa Rican pineapples as an alternative to coca.
Soon after, his initiative won the Integration Award in 2009, presented by Radio Programas del Peru. The reason: promoting an innovative idea at Mazamari; an idea that yields more than 40 tonnes of Golden pineapples per year.
His proposal got Coviriali growers to stop planting coca leaves in their fields and to replace them with golden pineapples. "You no longer find any coca plantations," noted Mari, proud of his father.
New organic pineapples
Reynaldo's daughter explains that the process to produce pineapples takes a year. It is a crop that requires a lot of care and even bagging. "Even a simple mosquito bite could completely spoil the fruit."
At the moment, the entrepreneur's farm produces a new organic pineapple. Ten growers are working on it to obtain an exceptional fruit, completely pesticide free. Only clean land is needed. "The grass eating livestock clear the land in a natural way," explains Mari.
With this, the Camarena family would manage to supply the market with an environmentally friendly product. Good for them, good for the planet.
