Mexico’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishing and Food stated that the country has had a surplus in its agricultural food trade balance for the second month, registering an accumulated value of $331 million dollars in the first two months of the year.
Based on figures from the Bank of Mexico and on statistics from Sagarpa, the trade balance went from a $99 million-dollar deficit in January-February 2014, to a surplus of $331 million in the same period of 2015.
According to the Secretariat, agro-food exports in the referred period (which includes agriculture, fishery and agro-industrial subsectors) amounted to $4.453 million dollars, 8.17 percent more than in the same time in the previous year.
International sales of agricultural products stood at $2.387 million dollars, i.e. a yearly increase of 9.79 per cent, and agribusiness amounted to $2.066 million dollars, i.e. a 6.36 percent increase.
Meanwhile, food imports in the first two months of the year amounted to $4,122 million dollar, 2.22 percent less than in the same period of 2014.
Sagarpa said in a statement that, at a monthly level, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography had stated that agro-food exports in the month of February 2015 had amounted to $2,292 million dollars, i.e. a 7.6 percent increase.
Regarding the agro-food trade balance of the same month, Sagarpa indicated that it had growth by 148 per cent over the year, with a $282 million dollar surplus.
They stated that international sales of agricultural products amounted to $1.154 million dollars, i.e. a 4.8 percent increase over the same month in 2014.
The products that had the best performance in exports in February, were cantaloupe, watermelon and papaya, with 51.5 percent, and fruits and edible fruits, with 32 percent, among others.
As well as avocado, with 26.2 percent; onions and garlic, with 22 percent; citrus, with 14.5 percent, and legumes and vegetables, with 6.5 per cent, among others.
The agro-industrial sector reported exports for $1.138 million in the reference month, which means they increased by 10.5 per cent.
Source: Notimex