Exportadora de Sal would celebrate seventy years of its foundation in 2024, in the best way: Mitsubishi accepted the offer from the Mexican government and sold 49% of the shares; Thus, the company is now 100% Mexican, controlled by the federal government, after the expenditure of 1,500 million pesos. An investment by FIFOMI and the National Geological Service that seems to have gone to waste.
Dedicated to the commercialization of industrial and table salt, as well as the provision of port services and the dispatch of vessels, ESSA was nationalized at the worst moment, with the collapse of its sales in the last two years of the López Obrador administration and an alarming increase in its inventories.
In 2024, ESSA generated 2,448 million pesos, 38.2% less than originally planned in the Federation Expenditure Budget of 3,962 million pesos. The volume of sales and the provision of services registered only 2,266 million pesos, of which, 1.824 million pesos were obtained from the sale of three million 829,641 metric tons of salt.
That difference – 1.5 billion pesos – was attributed by the company’s management to the reduction in sales volume, the price differential with respect to the market and the unfavorable variation in the exchange rate.
The Federation had authorized 4,340 million pesos in the PEF 2024 but at the end of 2024, the board of directors of the parastatal reported an underpayment, for 3,133 million. At the end of the year, the company reported a financial result of 133.5 million pesos, the product of a policy of reducing operating expenses and budgetary reorientation.
To solve the deficit, the board had 956.4 million pesos of its finances, despite contingent liabilities, for a whopping 15,359 million pesos, derived from lawsuits in process in which ESSA is involved. The riskiest is a commercial lawsuit for an estimated amount of 11,858 million pesos, although the company’s board of directors uses a copy of a final ruling issued in November 2023, which was favorable to ESSA, after the plaintiff’s withdrawal.
However, ESSA faces operational restrictions derived from the limited availability of maritime equipment, which has generated an accumulation of inventories. From 2023 to 2024 they recorded a growth of 83.2%.
Side effects
EMPTY. It is exceptional when the National Auditorium runs out of events on a Sunday. And more, this weekend of the CDMX Grand Prix, where other forums – read the Arena México, CU and other massive venues – will open their doors. In the case of the imposing Chapultepec Forest monolith, there was a last-minute cancellation, even though the ticket had already been printed and distributed. The celebrations to commemorate Clara Brugada’s first year at the City Hall Palace have been put on hold.
ANTICIPATED. With 20 months to go until the 2027 election, the first movements for the candidacies are noticeable. Among them, the announcement of the incorporation of Luis Montaño to the Mexican Green Ecologist stands out, after his brief time at the Belisario Domínguez Institute of the Senate. The Pevemista leadership wants to profile him for the mayor’s office of Atizapán de Zaragoza, one of the PAN bastions in the Valley of Mexico, where Morena simply has not permeated. Behind the new environmental standard-bearer there is a less idyllic story, that of Lumo Financiera. The contrast between the environmentalist discourse and the opacity in business overshadows his narrative of “political renewal,” with which he was presented.
PREPARATIONS. More than a thousand native trees were planted in the Spring Forest, the green lung of the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, not far from which is the Akron stadium, the World Cup venue. More than 300 collaborators and volunteers from Grupo Omnilife Chivas participated in these tasks. In charge of Amaury Vergara, ahead of the World Cup, it continues with its sustainability and sustainability strategy.
