Agricultural Welfare Production Program is Progressing

Among this week’s top stories, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development reported an advance of 84 percent in the Federal Welfare Production Program. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Minister Visits Mexico to strengthen business ties and showcase sustainability plans to local companies.

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Welfare Production Program Reaches 84 Percent Progress: SADER

Víctor Villalobos, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, reported that last June the Welfare Production Program registered an advance of 84 percent. As part of the analysis of President López Obrador’s fourth State of the Union presented by SADER, Villalobos stressed that MX$12.8 billion (US$642.48 million) out of the MX$14.01 billion (US$702.71 million) allocated in the 2022 budget to this program had been already delivered during the first half of the year.

Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Minister Visits Mexico

David Marit, the Minister of Agriculture of Saskatchewan, Canada visited Mexico to strengthen business relationships and showcase a sustainability plan. Mexico is one of the main buyers of rapeseed produced in Saskatchewan. Moreover, Marit pointed out other products that are stimulating the interest of Mexican buyers, like wheat, oats and legumes. "We see a lot of wheat entering Mexico and, in fact, we talked to companies and asked them why they buy Canadian wheat. They said they buy it because of its high quality," he added.

North America is Safe, Accessible Food Source: SADER

During the Trinational Meeting of Agriculture Ministers 2022, Víctor Villalobos, the Mexican Minister of Agriculture, said that the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), high health standards and elaborate logistical networks make North America one of the main sources of reliable healthy, safe and accessible food for the world. He urged the countries to continue building a strong, entrepreneurial and sustainable economic region with transport networks and agile communication routes that generate prosperity for all.

The Role of Precision Agriculture in the Agrifood Sector

Precision agriculture is the science of improving the productivity and profitability of crop yields using technology. By implementing precision agriculture, it is possible to increase performance, profitability and sustainability, while also allowing farmers to optimize their workflow and resource use. The increasing availability of smartphones and demand for drones are driving the growth of precision agriculture in Mexico. Moreover, the COVID-19 crisis has further highlighted the need to bring innovative technologies that improve yields and allow remote surveillance. Technological advances, innovation and the emergence of many startups are also providing opportunities and opening new paths for precision farming techniques.

Water Crisis in Mexico: How Consumers Can Help Mitigate Risks

Food waste at agriculture level — and with it, the waste of water used to produce this food — amounted to more than 15 percent of the total food produced globally in 2021.  Educating consumers on the fitness of all products based primarily on their nutritional value, so they revise their standards, could then have measurable long-term effects on the problem. Using these observations as educational materials, some grocery stores and third-party startups are now dedicating resources to selling imperfect food items like fruits and vegetables at a discount. In its first two years of operations, Cheaf’s users rescued almost a half million kilos of excess food from stores that would have thrown it away for cosmetic reasons or because of internal policies driven by customer behavior.