December 29, 2022

 

Corn output in Mexico falls short of local demand

Mexico's Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development said corn production in the country is expected to reach 27.3 million metric tonnes by the end of 2022, 38% below what is required for local demand, Mexico News Daily reported.

 

The ministry said Mexico will import 16.6 million tonnes of yellow corn to meet its demand of 44 million tonnes this year.

 

According to data from the government agency Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP), which estimated last year's production at 27.5 million tonnes, the projection is marginally less than Mexico's projected corn production for 2021.

 

Víctor Villalobos, Mexico's Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the estimate does not take into account an extra 2 million tonnes of corn that will likely be produced by year's end as a result of two government programmes that provide subsidies to farmers.

 

Villalobos said Mexico is going to reach roughly 30 million tonnes, and the government anticipates a 2 million tonne increase, largely as a result of the fertiliser programme and Sembrando Vida.

 

Sembrando Vida is a pilot programme to deliver fertiliser free-of-charge to commercial corn producers in Sinaloa state, to increase national production.

 

Juan Carlos Anaya, general director of the agricultural consulting group Grupo Consultor de Mercados Agrcola (GCMA), forecasts a somewhat less optimistic outcome. He said that Mexico is experiencing a corn production deficit and anticipates that the country will produce about 26.9 million tonnes of corn in 2022.

 

He said that production is not keeping up with what the country needs for consumption.

 

Anaya said despite rising domestic demand, domestic corn production has only increased at a moderate rate in recent years. This is especially true for the livestock industry, as a large portion of the imported yellow corn used to feed cattle is GM corn.

 

-      Mexico News Daily