Agricultural Sector Could be Affected by Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Given the political conflict in the EU, this week Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) met to develop measures to protect the sector. Meanwhile, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is calling for better jobs for the rural sector. Finally, Mexico’s agricultural and fishing exports grew by 15 percent in Jan. 2022.

Interested in more? Here are the week’s major headlines in Agribusiness & Food!

SADER Analyzes Impact of International Conflict and Climate Change

Mexico’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Víctor Villalobos Arámbula met with the Livestock Commission of the Chamber of Deputies to discuss potential actions in favor of the agricultural sector in the wake of challenges posed by climate change and the conflict in Eastern Europe.

The price of supplies increased first due to the pandemic but now the geopolitical conflict in Eastern Europe is expected to increase them further. "We have to be more efficient in the use of water to produce the same volumes with less of this resource through innovation, technology and the promotion of perennial forages in areas of water stress," said Villalobos.

Expansion of Social Protection Essential for Recovery

“Due to a series of challenges faced by the rural population, such as isolation, widespread job informality and low, irregular income linked to the seasonality of agri-food activities, rural populations do not have sufficient access to services of social protection,” said QU Dongyu, Director General, FAO. Currently, FAO is seeking to reduce vulnerability and risk in the social and economic spheres to alleviate extreme poverty and deprivation. Globally, over 80 percent of rural self-employed workers are in the informal sector, and the agri-food sector has the highest level of informal employment. For this reason, FAO is urging for the creation of decent jobs and the expansion of social protection to address deficiencies while contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). 

Mexico’s Agricultural and Fishing Exports Grew 15 Percent in January

During Jan. 2022, the value of the country's agricultural and fishing exports totaled US$1.78 billion, an increase of 15 percent year-over-year. The largest increases were observed in foreign sales of fresh strawberries (53.1 percent), avocado (40.6 percent) and citrus fruits (27.6 percent), reported SADER.