Agriculture

For the past decade the agriculture sector has grown marginally – at an annual average rate of 0.9% – as the rest of the economy continues to industrialise. Its contribution to national GDP was estimated at 3% in 2013, down from 3.4% the previous year. The prevalence of small-scale farmers, limited financing options and widespread rural poverty are some of the factors behind the slow pace of expansion. In the past three years adverse climatic conditions have also affected the sector. While some segments of the Mexican agricultural sector, such as fruits and vegetables, have benefitted from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) since 1994, others, namely grains, have been adversely affected by increased competition with highly subsidised and efficient US producers. Efforts to diversify export markets, coupled with production-oriented policies and an agrarian reform to be announced in 2014, could bring some much-needed dynamism to the sector. This chapter includes an interview with Luis Rebollar González, President and General Manager, DuPont México, Central America & Caribbean.