The Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader), Victor Villalobos Arámbula, reported that the United States is the largest buyer of Mexican foods, after last year acquiring 42 million dollars in berries, avocado, tomato, mango, asparagus, chili, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lemon, cucumber, beer and tequila.

The largest food purchases in the United States occurred in 31 foods produced in the countryside and manufactured in factories installed in Mexico, according to a statement from the agency.

During 2023, the North American country ranked first in the purchase of beer, grapes, tequila, berries, avocado, tomato, meat, confectionery, sweet cookies, chili, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, cattle, lemon, sugar, walnuts, chocolate, fried foods, cucumber, green coffee, infant formula, lettuce, mango, orange juice, puffed cereal, tuna, onion, asparagus and banana.

Japan was the largest buyer of Mexican pork in 2023, the year in which producers sold more than $576 million of that food. That acquisition made that Asian nation the second largest buyer of Mexican food, with 112 million dollars.

Canada is the third buyer of Mexican food with 958 million dollars, followed by Guatemala with 629 million dollars.

China occupies fifth place with 446 million dollars, in sixth place is Spain with 319 million dollars, in seventh place is Colombia with 257 million dollars, and in eighth place is Germany with 216 million dollars.

In 2023, Mexico registered a surplus agricultural and agro-industrial balance, which reached a value of seven thousand 600 million dollars, a figure that represents the third largest positive balance in 29 years, according to the agency.

Mexico remained the first country in the global trade of beer, tequila, berries, avocado, tomato, mango and asparagus, and the second in chili, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, lemon and cucumber, among others.

Although a severe drought was recorded in the last agricultural year, Mexico's agricultural and fishing production grew 4.7 percent in the period 2018-2023, which at the close of the six-year period positions Mexico as the eleventh largest food producer in the world, stated the head of Sader.

In 2023, the value of agri-food exports was the highest reported in 31 years, registering 51.9 million dollars, destined for more than 191 countries, detailed Patricia Ornelas Ruiz, chief director of the Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service.

The United States, Japan, Canada, Guatemala and China together bought 45 billion dollars of Mexican food, the official commented in the presentation of the Agri-Food Panorama 300-2018, a document prepared by the SIAP.

The Agri-Food Panorama contains the collection of the 2018-2024 agri-food transformation route, which in 2023 reported 298.9 million tons of agricultural and fishing products, which produced 20 million agricultural hectares and 108.9 million hectares of livestock.