He found his calling in agriculture and working the land

Source: El Nuevo Día

Vega Alta.- Francisco Gabriel Ocasio Reyes never considered agriculture as a means of earning a living; since he was little, however, he felt connected to the work his family did on their property in Corozal.

But fate changed his way of thinking: little by little, he discovered that his life was linked to agriculture, and he would later learn to harvest the fruits of his labor to feed hundreds of fellow Puerto Ricans.

This is the calling of the owner of Ecofinca Servicios Agrícolas, an agribusiness created in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Business has been growing in the past two years through the farm's operation, which is located in Vega Alta's Maricao barrio.

From there, Ocasio Reyes dedicates himself to planting sweet peppers, malanga lila (Xanthosoma violaceum), yautía amarilla (cocoyam), recao (culantro), plantains, and passion fruit, in a project that employs five people who work on the farm, which is about 25 acres.

"If you asked me when I was a teenager if I was going to work in agriculture, I would've said: 'Absolutely not'. Actually, I got to high school and I was considering becoming a chef. When I took a career quiz, I got industrial engineering, which is what my father does for a living. But I didn't see myself there either," confessed Ocasio Reyes.

"I later took a hydroponic systems course in Caguas, and I started a small hydroponic system at home. At first it was a hobby, although since I was little, my family, especially my uncle Luis, planted crops. I always had that connection, but I never saw it as something serious," highlighted the young man, who was born in Bayamón.

However, he enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez, where he completed a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics and agribusiness. There he also met the love of his life, Rosangely Tirado Rijo, with whom -- years later -- he had a child.

"I entered (university) thinking that, if I liked it, I'd stay, and if I didn't, I'd change majors. I wasn't sure about it, I didn't see it in the long term. But I started and I loved it. In fact, I am the only agronomist in the family," he said, mentioning that his wife became a pest management specialist.

His first work experience was with the Puerto Rico Land Authority, which later ended due to the pandemic. However, Francisco took advantage of the moment to find the land to develop his company.

"We had my grandfather's farm in Naranjito, and we came up with the idea of doing something like this. But in Naranjito, the terrain is mountainous and Hurricane María destroyed it. I looked all over Puerto Rico. Some I liked, others I didn't, until I found this one," said Francisco.

"I chose this property because the land is flat, it is easier to work with and employ machinery. It's much easier to work the land like this, and it requires less labor. Irrigation and harvesting are easier too. At the same time, it is close to the metropolitan area, which is important because almost all of our clients are there," he pointed out.

Thus, the project started in 2021, but the area had to be prepared beforehand, because "all of this was pasture. There was no water or electricity; only an abandoned warehouse that belonged to the Water Authority stood."

"The farm has around 25 acres, but with the edge and the trails, only around 20 can be used for planting. Right now there are approximately five acres that are planted. All year round, we have sweet chili, recao, and passion fruit available. Seasonally, we produce malanga lila, yautía amarilla, and plantains," he explained.

"Plantains are planted from November to December, and malanga at the beginning of November. Plantains can be harvested 10 months, and at 11 months, the big harvest comes. With malanga, harvesting begins at six months and can last up to eight months. Yautía amarilla takes eight months to grow," he added.

One of his products is passion fruit, which is fully processed on site. "From planting and harvesting, the fruit is classified, the pulp is removed, it is then vacuum packed, packaged, labeled and distributed. Our passion fruit is pure pulp, no sugar or water added."

Likewise, he stated that, "every two weeks, we harvest between 500 to 1,000 pounds of sweet peppers. We can also produce up to 1,200 pounds of recao per month." These are sold in hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and intermediary vendors from Manatí to Caguas and Corozal.

"The goal is that, in the long term, we can certify the farm as an agritourism destination and that people can visit it and learn how everything works. Likewise, we want to provide services to the community so that they come learn how this process works," he mentioned.

When asked if it is worth all the effort, Francisco replied that: "It's worth it if you know what you're doing. It is a beautiful business, but it's difficult, because it's a very risky business," he concluded.