Grain purchases from the US tripled in a decade; 5 thousand 300 million dollars a year

In the recent 10 years, the sale of corn from the United States (mainly yellow and transgenic) to Mexico has tripled and exceeds 5.3 billion dollars a year. This trade was threatened by a Mexican decree that sought to prohibit the entry of that grain. However, last Friday a T-MEC panel reversed that resolution.

According to data from the United States Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), in 2013 that nation sold approximately 1,762 million dollars in corn to Mexico; In 2023 this sum reached a record of 5,386 million dollars, that is, an increase of 206 percent.

Between January and October 2024 (latest data available), according to the USDA, US corn purchases already amounted to 4,710 million dollars, 5 percent more compared to 4,487 million dollars in the same period. 2023, so a new record is expected this year.

The increase is not only in value. Data from the US organization indicate that in the last decade the volume of corn sales to Mexico has skyrocketed 185 percent, from 6 million 527 thousand 206 tons in 2013 to 18 million 619 thousand 299 tons in 2023.

The Agricultural Market Consulting Group (GCMA) estimates that by 2024 Mexico’s total corn purchases will amount to 23 million 900 thousand tons (in January and November they totaled 21 million 800 thousand tons). Of this year’s total, according to USDA calculations, around 22 million tons will come from US territory.

According to an analysis by Trusts Instituted in Relation to Agriculture (FIRA), Mexican consumption of corn during the last five commercial cycles (2018/19-2022/23) grew at an average annual rate of 0.8 percent and for this year it is expected to be around 42 million 100 thousand tons.

The GMCA predicts that Mexico will close the year with a production of white corn of 23 million 300 tons and 3 million of yellow, for a total of 23 million 300 thousand tons, which means that the country has a deficit of at least 18 million 800 thousand tons.

The corn needed to cover national demand is yellow, necessary to feed poultry and livestock, and to be used in industry, since Mexico is self-sufficient in white corn, which is used in the masa and tortilla chain. and is classified as for human consumption.

Of this type of corn, in Mexican territory there are around 69 races, which the government protects by prohibiting the planting of transgenic corn.

Producers demand support

Organizations of farmers and tortilla producers separately indicated that they are not concerned that the resolution of the transgenic corn panel has been unfavorable to Mexico because these sectors are against the use of this type of grain, although they urged the government to support the Mexican countryside, especially corn growers, given the low production of recent years.

Juan Carlos Dávila Arteaga, president of the Board of Directors of the Great Alliance of Dough and Tortilla Industrialists in Mexico, commented that this organization has 110 thousand affiliated establishments in the country, which each year use 5 million tons of corn. white for human consumption and an average of 2 million tons of flour. We are against genetically modified seeds.

He highlighted that Mexico has 30 million hectares destined for 60 varieties of native corn; however, Due attention has not been paid to the field, much less to the dough or the tortilla.. He assured that if more resources are invested we wouldn’t need to import more.

Dávila Arteaga pointed out that the country has three granaries of corn: Sinaloa, Jalisco and Guanajuato, but they have very little production.

For the 2022-2023 cycle, Sinaloa planted 540 thousand hectares with a yield of 6 million tons; For 2023-2024, 280 thousand hectares were cultivated with a production of 3 million tons and for 2024-2025, 100 thousand hectares were planted that will not generate more than 2 million tons.

a necessary evil

Baltazar Valdez Armentía, president of Campesinos Unidos de Sinaloa, considered bueno the panel’s ruling against Mexico because the corn sent from the United States would be destined for the agricultural sector.

We do not strongly agree with importing genetically modified corn; However, it is a necessary evil because the production of meat, eggs and milk depends on it, considering that this grain is used to fatten animals.he commented.