Mexican fruit exports in 2011 increased by 18.9%, compared to last year, said the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA).
According to the agency in 2011, USD$2,827 million worth of fruits were sold, especially avocados, watermelons, mangoes, papayas, lemons and grapes.
In this regard, SAGARPA´s Secretariat of Agriculture, reported that Mexico´s fruit export volume grew 8.7%, at an annual rate from 1994 to 2010, by passing from 686,000 tons to 2.6 million tons.
He said the traded volume in 2010 represented a market value of USD$2,567 million worth of products.
"Our country," stated the Undersecretary of Agriculture, "ranks first in export products such as avocado, watermelon, lemon and papaya, whose main destination is the United States."
With regards to avocado, Mexico is the leading producer worldwide, with 1.1 million tons per year (over 40% of the international production), followed by Chile, with 238,000 tons.
It is also the main exporter of this fruit and in the last decade it showed an average annual growth of 20% in international trade, by going from 71,000 tons in 2001 to 369,000 in 2010, after the United States, the main destination is Japan.
From January to December 2011, around 349,000 tons of avocado were exported, with a value exceeding USD$900 million.
Internationally, Mexico is the second largest lemon producer with 1.9 million tons and the largest citric exporter with 453,000 tons, which supplies 92.5% of the product´s demand to the U.S. market.
The Agriculture Secretariat said that in the case of watermelon, Mexico is the leading fruit exporter in the world; contributing to the international market with 22.9% of world trade, and in the last decade it has been having an average annual growth of 8%.
From January to December 2011, about 542,000 tons of watermelon were sold abroad, with a value greater than the USD$246 million.
In mango, our country ranks second as an exporter, with 269,000 tons and supplies 60% of the main import market of this fruit, which is the United States.
The rest of the production, which amounts to 1.6 million tons, is for domestic consumption.
Another important Mexican product is the papaya. Annually there are around 616,000 tons of this fruit produced and the country is the biggest exporter, with 121,000 tons.
Finally, the country is among the top 10 grape exporters worldwide, with over 100,000 tons annually. In the period January-December 2011, 137,000 tons were sold abroad, worth over USD$141 million.
It should be noted that Mexican agricultural products are internationally recognized for their health and safety observations, a situation that allows producers to export to 43 nations in the world, via a series of trade agreements, mainly the U.S., European and Asian countries.
In this regard, SAGARPA´s Secretariat of Agriculture, said that the strategy of integration and strengthening of product systems, orientation of the support for public goods like health, modernization, development of technologies and added value are elements that increase the participation of Mexican fruit in international markets.
Source: SAGARPA