During the first quarter of 2022, berries (red fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries) became Mexico’s number one agri-food export product, generating more income from foreign sales than beer, which for years has been Mexico’s primary agri-food export product.
Calculations by the Grupo Consultor de Mercados Agrícolas (GCMA, a Mexican agricultural consultancy firm), based on information from the Bank of Mexico, show that in the first three months of 2022, Mexico exported 1,395 billion USD of berries, a 22,5% increase compared to Q1 of 2021. In the same period, beer exports increased by 16,8%, from 1,185 billion UDS to 1,384 billion USD, not enough to retain its position as the leading agri-food export product.
Young raspberry plants
The growth of Mexico’s berry exports is a positive sign for The Netherlands, too: The Netherlands is currently working closely with Mexican authorities to obtain market access for raspberry young plants from The Netherlands.
© Lotscc | Dreamstime
Avocados, tequila, and beef
Data from the Bank of Mexico show that during Q1 2022, berries and beer were not the only Mexican agri-food products that saw significant export growth: exports of avocados, third on the list, generated 1,128 billion USD (31% more than in Q1 2021), tequila exports, at fourth place, generated 953 million USD (+53% compared to Q1 2021); while beef exports, at fifth place, generated 820 million USD (+29.4%). Tomato exports, on the other hand, dropped 10%, to 688 million USD.
In the first three months of 2022, the total value of all agri-food exports from Mexico was 12,6 billion USD, an increase of 15.7% compared to Q1 2021. At the same time, Mexico’s agri-food imports were 9,4 billion USD, an increase of 20,5%.
Source: agroberichtenbuitenland.nl
