Mexico breaks record in asparagus exports
Mexico broke a record in its asparagus exports to the world in 2019, measured in volume, according to data from the Ministry of the Economy.
These external sales of these products reached 174,000 tons and practically all were directed to the United States market.
Measured in value, Mexico’s exports totaled $ 433 million, below the all-time high reached in 2017, at $ 455 million.
It is a vegetable well known for its unique flavor, texture, and presence of many desirable phytochemicals and physiological functions. More than 200 species of asparagus have been identified, of which Asparagus officinalis is the only species grown commercially as a vegetable.
Production and processing can be converted into various high-value products, including bioactive dietary fiber powders, bioactive extracts, conventional products with these by-products, etc.
In addition, according to the Peruvian government, it reduces the formation of atheroma plaques (they harden the arterial walls, reducing the diameter), thereby lowering the risk of arteriosclerosis.
It is also the richest vegetable in glutathione (an antioxidant made up of three amino acids; glycine, cysteine and glutamic acid), a potent anticancer. It contains flavonoids like rutin, a powerful antioxidant, which protects from ultraviolet rays, has anti-inflammatory and antiallergic effects, which limit the action of free radicals, among other properties.
Asparagus exports
Other exporters of this product are Peru, the United States, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy.
The largest importer in the world is the United States, where its main suppliers are Mexico and Peru.
Exports from Mexico have climbed, year after year, from 106,000 tons in 2015.
