Major Mexican Fruit and Vegetable Exports

Avocados are the most valuable fruit exported from Mexico to the US, worth $1.5 billion in 2016 (Table 1). Michoacán accounted for 83 percent of the avocado export sales, and got higher prices for its avocados than other Mexican states because fresh avocados can be exported to the US from Michoacán. Jalisco, whose acreage is increasing rapidly in anticipation of winning permission to export fresh avocados to the US, has a third of its acreage not harvested in 2016 because it had not yet come into production.

Berries for export were grown on 33,000 hectares in 2016, producing 858,000 tons of fruit that generated $1.2 billion in export sales. The most valuable berry was strawberries worth $468 million, followed by blackberries worth $239 million and raspberries worth $113 million. Michoacán had two thirds of Mexico’s acreage of berries and generated 71 percent of export sales, but the berry industry is growing fast in Jalisco, which has almost 20 percent of the acreage and generates 10 percent of export revenues.

Almost all blackberries are in Michoacán, which also accounts for 42 percent of blueberry export revenue, 26 percent of raspberry revenue, and 69 percent of strawberry revenue. Jalisco has a rapidly expanding raspberry industry, and Baja achieves the highest blueberry yields, almost 1.4 times Mexico’s average.

Sinaloa is the major source of fresh vegetable exports. Bell pepper exports were worth $231 million in 2016, and 60 percent of the acreage, but only 40 percent of the export revenue, were from Sinaloa. Guanajuato, on the other hand, had five percent of the acreage and 10 percent of the export revenue, suggesting that Guanajuato bell pepper exports are sold at higher prices.

Cucumber exports generated $244 million in revenue in 2016, including 44 percent from Sinaloa. Sinaloa and Sonora generated over half of the cucumber export revenue from a third of the acreage, while Michoacán had almost a quarter of cucumber acreage but accounted for less than 10 percent of cucumber export revenues, suggesting lower prices.

Tomatoes are the most valuable vegetable export, generating $1.2 billion in export revenue in 2016. Prices fluctuate, explaining why Sinaloa, with 27 percent of tomato acreage, received only 20 percent of export revenue, while San Luis Potosi, with five percent of acreage, obtained nine percent of the export revenue.