Why This is Important to Wisconsin: Wisconsin has a strong reputation in food processing equipment and other aspects of food production.
Mexico’s agricultural exports hit a record high in 2023, according to initial data from the Bank of Mexico.
The value of agrifood exports, including beverages such as beer and tequila, reached $51.9 billion, a 3.9% increase over 2022 and more than double the 2013 level of $24.4 billion in exports, according to Mexico News Daily. It marked the 14th year of consecutive growth, even though drought afflicted the northern part of the country.
Beer was Mexico’s top agri-food export in 2023, at $6.2 billion, followed by tequila/mezcal, with nearly $4.3 billion in export revenue. Tomatoes and avocados were the highest revenue producers among agricultural products, which each exceeding $3 billion, the Mexico News Daily article said.
Mexico is now the seventh-largest food exporter in the world, up from ninth place in 2022. Mexico ships food products to more than 190 countries, but at least 80% of the value of the exports stays in North America because of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, according to data from Mexico’s Agricultural and Fisheries Information Service.
Not only is it a huge food exporter; in 2025, Mexico is projected to become the ninth-largest producer of agricultural and food products, according to the 2024 annual report issued by the Agricultural Markets Consulting Group, an article by Mexico Business News says. That would be a jump from its current 10th place ranking in global food production.
At the same time, Mexico is also a large food importer. In 2023, Mexico imported $51 billion of food ingredient products, and more than 60% of the imports came from the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service. The USDA says Mexico had more than 217,000 food production facilities, offices, and distribution centers in 2022, and employed 6 million people in food production.
Wisconsin businesses in food production and equipment may find a receptive market in Mexico.
