Mexico: Agri-food exports have no limit

Foreign sales recorded growth of 26.6% in February. The value of agricultural exports reached $ 506.6 billion. Products with the largest annual increases were: onions and garlic, tomato and shellfish, fresh strawberries, peppers, fresh vegetables, and avocados.

The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) reported that during the month of February, exports of agricultural products registered a growth of 26.6 percent compared to the same month last year.

Based on a report from the National Institute of Geography and Statistics (INEGI), the federal agency noted that in the second month of 2016 were sold abroad agricultural goods worth 506.6 thousand million.

This represents an increase of about 316 million, compared to what obtained in February 2015.

Products with the largest annual increases in exports were: onions and garlic, 100.7 percent; tomatoes, 66 percent; crustaceans and molluscs, 46.5 percent; fresh strawberries, 39.9 percent; pepper, 29.6 percent; fresh vegetables, 26 percent, and avocados, 16.4 percent.

The first two months of 2016, agricultural exports totaled two thousand 604 million dollars, according to the INEGI report.

This means an increase at an annual rate of 10.8 percent, about $ 253 million more compared with the same period last year.

In 2015, Mexico exported food products for more than 26 000 600 million to various international destinations, an increase of four percent annual rate.

Sales reached a record surplus also meant for Mexico-the first in 20 years by around 848.2 million.

Similarly, agricultural imports in 2015 showed a decrease of 8.6 percent, going from 28.1 billion dollars to 25.7 billion dollars.

Source: Sagarpa