According to a preliminary analysis by the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA), there was an increase in the export flow in the first five months of the year that allowed the country to alleviate the $58.2 million dollar shortfall recorded in the same period in 2013.
This is the first time in seven years in which Mexico's food trade records and maintains a positive balance, upsetting the deficit trend there had been.
This positive outcome is the result of the sector's export growth, as sales abroad during the reference period amounted to $11.544 million dollars, 5.4 percent more than in with the same period last year.
Exports of agricultural goods in the first five months of the year amounted to 5.888 million dollars, seven percent more than in the same period last year.
The agribusiness sector reported sales for 5.656 million dollars, a four percent increase in its annual comparative.
The main horticultural products exported by Mexico during the January-May 2014 were: fresh tomatoes, 917.2 million; avocadoes, 688.5 million; bell peppers, 577.4 million, and fresh raspberry, 389.2 million.
These products account for nearly 34 percent of the Mexican food industry total exports between January and May this year.
In the reported period, food products were sent mainly to the United States, Japan, Canada, Guatemala and Venezuela.
Other destinations for the agro-food goods were the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong and China.
It's worth noting that, if this trend in sales of food products continues, the sector would exceed the 25,000 million dollars in exports by the end of 2014.
The most important annual increases were for the exports of grapes and raisins, 78.7 percent; citrus, 75 percent; fruits and edible fruits, 44.4 percent; honey, 43.5 percent, and cattle, 38.1 percent.
Source: Sagarpa