Charting the growth in U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico - Illustration

Between 1988 and 1993, U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico grew from $2.23 billion to $3.56 billion -- a 60-percent increase. Although 1993 exports were slightly below the previous year's record high, they appear to be headed for a new record this year. Exports for the first four months of 1994 (since NAFTA implementation) were up 11 percent from the same period a year ago.

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Bulk commodities no longer dominate U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico, but all three product categories have grown. Consumer foods registered the most dramatic gains, nearly tripling in value since 1988. Consumer foods now account for the largest share -- 37 percent in 1993 -- of total U.S. agricultural exports to this market.

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Measured by value, the two largest U.S. exports in 1993 were soybeans ($416 million) and coarse grains ($415 million), both bulk commodities. In most years, coarse grains are No. 1. These were followed by red meats ($328 million), dairy products ($244 million) and poultry meat ($205 million), with cotton ($191 million) close behind.

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The boom in U.S. consumer food exports to Mexico is not limited to a few products, and some food groups have recorded gains of several hundred or even a thousand percent or more since 1988. In most cases, the growth trends appear to be continuing or even accelerating. Trade data for the first four months of 1994 shows growth in 11 of the 15 categories of consumer foods.

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COPYRIGHT 1994 U.S. Department of Agriculture
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group