Success Story – Tomás Cuteres Lares

Mr. Tomás Cuteres Lares is originally from Chichicastenango, Quiché. With 20 years of experience in fruit production, he has cultivated apples, peaches, and Hass avocados. Currently he leads the Cooperativa Integral Agrícola Unión Chipaquense (COINACHI RL). His commitment to agricultural production has ensured the livelihood of his family.

At the beginning, Tomás’ yields were limited due to the lack of agronomic management, producing 30 quintals of apples, 25 quintals of peaches, and 12 quintals of Hass avocados per cuerda. At that time, his orchard relied on traditional methods, irregular irrigation, and limited pest and disease control.

In 2023, Tomás participated in the PROINNOVA project, where he received specialized technical assistance, including drip irrigation technologies, fertilization, integrated pest management, and other practices. Thanks to these interventions, his production has increased significantly: 45 qq/cuerda of apples, 35 qq/cuerda of peaches, and 25 qq/cuerda of Hass avocados. In addition, he now has irrigation systems that make use of stored rainwater and markets his harvest through La Carreta, improving his family’s income.

With this transformation, Tomás plans to continue expanding his water reservoirs and further modernizing his orchards, strengthening his local leadership and deepening his community roots. His success demonstrates that with technical knowledge and perseverance, it is possible to stabilize family income and strengthen agricultural production without the need to migrate.