Organic produce trade is growing between the U.S. and Mexico

Trade between the U.S. and Mexico in organic produce is booming, according to a recent report from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

In 2023, the top five organic exports from the U.S. to Mexico were apples, pears, grapes, spinach, and lettuce. Meanwhile, Mexico’s top five organic exports to the U.S. that year were avocados, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and tomatoes.

According to the report, Mexico prioritizes selling its organic products to the U.S. and Canadian markets due to closer proximity and efficient transportation channels, despite having many free trade agreements with other countries.

In 2023, Mexico’s certified organic area totaled 1.4 million acres, of which about 40% represented crop production area.

Between 2022 and 2023, Mexico’s organic production area increased for oranges (from 42,000 acres to nearly 52,000 acres, mangoes (from 334,6012 acres to 400,787 acres), and lemons (from 12,523 acres to 15,483 acres).

Mexico had 46,030 certified organic plant producers in 2023, a 4% decrease from 2022; 91% of those producers were coffee producers, the report said.

Twenty USDA-accredited organic certifiers operate in Mexico, and there are more than 2,600 USDA-certified organic operations in Mexico. Products are required to be USDA-certified to be exported to the U.S.

The report said that suppliers of organic produce may find increasing demand from Mexico buyers in future years.

“The Mexican organic market is at an early stage and has room to develop,” the report said. “Organic products are increasingly popular, and benefit from the support of the current Mexican federal administration, which promotes organics as environmentally friendly.”

Source: The Packer

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https://www.thepacker.com/news/organic/organic-produce-trade-increasing-between-us-and-mexico

Organic & Non-GMO Insights August 2024