Agricultural Sector Urges to Boost Funding for Food Safety

Agricultural sector representatives are calling on the federal government to increase funding for food safety and sanitary measures, citing budget cuts to the National Service for Agri-Alimentary Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) at a time when climate change, population growth and global trade are intensifying pressures on the countryside.

Jorge Esteve, President, National Agricultural Council (CNA), criticized the budget cuts to SENASICA. “In the last 10 years, SENASICA’s budget has dropped by 20% in absolute terms, while agri-food production has practically doubled,” he said during the 22nd edition of the Global Agri-Food Forum 2025: The Future of Food.

The businessman called for defending and demanding greater funding for the agency responsible for ensuring food safety and quality in the country. As an example of sanitary risks facing the sector, Esteve pointed to the delayed response to the outbreak of the screwworm (GBG), which had been anticipated from Central America.

In this regard, during his participation at the event, Julio Berdagué, Minister of Agriculture, said the campaign against the pest has been successful thanks to the joint work of SENASICA and the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). He noted that the disease has been contained in southeastern states for the past 10 months.

Berdagué emphasized that during this period, only 0.005% of the national cattle herd was affected by the pest. He expressed confidence that live cattle exports could soon resume. “There is no technical or scientific reason that justifies the closure of the border to Mexican exports,” he said.

Esteve also urged the agri-food sector to take shared responsibility for sanitary and food safety issues, stressing that they must be part of the solution. He underlined the need to make sound decisions in the short term to address long-term challenges such as climate change, population growth, and global trade in food production.

He emphasized the importance of joint efforts to strengthen food security and sovereignty. “We need the participation of all three levels of government, the private sector, academia, and producers. If we want to build more and grow better, we must ensure investment, collaboration, and clear rules to guarantee a better future and the well-being of the sector and rural communities,” Esteve said.

He added that strengthening the agri-food system requires evidence-based public policies and expanded irrigation. Although Mexico has more than 20 million ha of farmland, only 5 million ha have irrigation systems. To address this issue, the government is advancing the National Irrigation Modernization Program, which aims to recover more than 2.8 billion m3 of water through upgraded infrastructure and more efficient irrigation systems by 2030.

Esteve also stressed the need for innovation in Mexican agriculture, noting that only through technology and process optimization can the country produce more with fewer resources. “There is a need for digital coverage in rural areas, open data, and traceability, as well as the adoption of AI, sensors, drones, and precision agriculture,” he said.

Finally, given the rising demand for food, Esteve said that farmers need access to credit, since only one in 10 currently receives such support. He argued that financing is essential for Mexican producers to remain competitive, as most farmers in the United States and Canada receive government subsidies.

Esteve highlighted the struggles of small producers, pointing out that a farmer in southeastern Mexico produces fewer than 3t of corn and earns only about MX$45,000 (US$2,433) per year, which is not enough to lift families out of poverty. “We need to find new ways to lift people out of poverty. We must be smart, diversify, and look for different approaches to solve the traditional challenges of the countryside,” he said.