Field production fell for the second consecutive year

Agricultural production closed 2024 at 286 million 300 thousand tons, a drop of 2.1 percent or 6 million tons compared to 292 million 300 thousand tons in 2023, calculated Grupo Consultor de Mercados Agrícolas (GCMA).

If this forecast comes true, it will be the second consecutive fall and the goal of exceeding 300 thousand tons, set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at the beginning of 2024, will be missed.

The Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Víctor Villalobos Arámbula, estimated that by the end of 2024, national food production will exceed 300 million tons, a figure in line with the annual growth recorded during the current federal administration.the agency said in February of last year.

The biggest drop in the country’s agricultural production, according to GCMA, occurred in the grains and oilseeds segment: it went from 40 million 120 thousand tons in 2023 to 36 million 200 thousand tons in 2024, that is, an annual decline of 4.2 million tons, equivalent to 10.2 percent.

In this area, corn stands out, whose harvests decreased 13 percent annually, from 27 million 500 thousand tons in 2023 to 23 million 700 thousand tons in 2024.

Wheat production plummeted 24.1 percent, as it is expected to close the year at 2 million 640 thousand tons, when last year it amounted to 3 million 480 thousand.

In the fruit and vegetables segment, the forecast drop is 2.7 percent, from 44 million 700 thousand tons in 2023 to 43 million 400 thousand in 2024. This segment, said Juan Carlos Anaya, general director of the GCMA, had shown dynamism in the last three decades, but now faces stagnation as a result of lack of investment, insecurity and drought.

In the agroindustrial sector, production fell 7.5 percent, from 58 million 500 thousand tons in 2023 to 54 million 170 thousand in 2023, as a consequence of a significant decrease in the production and yields of sugar cane. As for agave, production and harvested area increased, but there was a drastic drop in prices.

The only segment that recorded a positive balance, according to GCMA, was livestock, whose production in 2024 would have been 25 million 500 thousand tons, an increase of 1.7 percent compared to 25 million 100 thousand in 2023.

For Anaya, the countryside closes 2024 with a mixed outlook, marked by significant setbacks in key sectors such as grains, fruit and vegetables and agro-industrial sectors, mainly affected by drought, insecurity and ineffective policies. And although the livestock sector closed positively, they face structural challenges.

This situation highlights the need for comprehensive strategies that prioritize food security, investment, adaptation to climate change and sustainability.highlighted the specialist.