Peanut imports from Mexico reach 235,000
Peanut imports from Mexico would reach 235,000 tons in the 2019-2020 cycle, which ends in August, a similar amount that would be registered in the 2020-2021 season, projected the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA, for its acronym in English).
Mexico is one of the largest importers of peanuts in the world, along with the Netherlands, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Russia.
Measured in value, imports of Peanuts from Mexico totaled 153 million dollars in the calendar year of 2019, a year-on-year drop of 13%, according to data from the Ministry of Economy.
Mexico: Production, Supply, and Distribution (PSD) for Peanuts
Of that amount of imports, the United States contributed 89.1%, followed by China (7%), Brazil (2.5%), Nicaragua (0.7%) and Argentina (0.7 percent).
For the 2020/2021 season, peanut production is forecast at 97,000 tons, according to the USDA.
This increase is due to an expansion in the planted area, according to the farmer’s planting intentions. This level of planted area is similar to the average planted in recent years.
Peanut production and imports
There are no particular government programs to support peanut production, although some snack companies help farmers finance in states like Chihuahua.
Private analysts point out that the production of peanuts in Mexico does not use current technologies, which makes the Mexican product less competitive compared to peanuts from other origins. Most of the production continues without irrigation.
Peanut production, as well as estimates of planted and harvested areas have been revised downward for the 2019/2020 cycle from previous estimates, based on updated official data.
According to official sources, a planted area less than previously estimated in states like Sinaloa and San Luis Potosí was the main reason for a lower production than initially anticipated.
Farmers in these states moved productive farmland to what they considered to be relatively more profitable alternative crops, such as corn and even tomatoes.
