Angelica Enciso L.
Newspaper La Jornada
Friday April 22, 2022, p. 7
The production of yellow corn in Mexico is insufficient to cover the national demand: 73.2 percent is covered by imports, which are basically destined for the livestock sector. Between October 2021 and September of this year, foreign purchases are estimated to be 15.8 million tons, similar to those of the previous period, according to the 2022 Agrifood Expectations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader).
The national harvest of this grain will be 3.4 million tons, 22.6 percent more than the previous period, the report indicates. Meanwhile, the production of white corn, which is destined for human consumption, will be 24.7 million tons, which will be 1.7 percent more than the previous cycle.
In total, agricultural, livestock, aquaculture and fishing production would close this year with a volume of 300.1 million tons, 1.9 percent more than that registered in 2021, despite the adverse international scenario, indicates the report presented yesterday in Sinaloa.
At the end of last year, the agri-food trade balance had a surplus of 7,192 million dollars, but it is less than the 11,958 million dollars in 2020 and the growth trend that began in 2012 was reversed.
The document highlights that the production of fertilizers continues to decline, while consumption increases. It indicates that last year 2 million 82 thousand tons were produced, 11.3 percent less than what was obtained in 2020 and 16.9 less than in 2019. National consumption in 2020 was 6.5 million tons, 12.8 percent more than in 2019.
Fertilizers and planted area
Fertilizer imports last year were 4 million 471 tons, less than in 2020 when they reached 4 million 860 thousand tons, it adds.
It refers that the area planted last year was 20 million 683 thousand hectares, where 268.4 million tons of food were produced, which exceeds the volume obtained in 2020 by 1.3 percent, it refers. This increase was due to the production of crystalline wheat, with one million 782 thousand tons; followed by sugar cane, with 55 million 360 thousand tons and, in third place, oats, which registered nine million 973 thousand tons.
