Bees, Livestock, Seeds in the Spotlight

Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) seeks to promote productive and environmentally friendly beekeeping investments. The country ranks eighth in the world in honey production and expects to grow by 22.4 percent in production in 2021. The Ministry is directing government programs to protect all pollinators, generate monitoring protocols to reduce the use of glyphosate, update the list of prohibited pesticides and promote community programs that allow transit to agroecological systems that strengthen the food sovereignty of rural communities. Globally there are about 20,000 bee species. Mexico has about 1,900, of which almost all are native. Without the active participation of bees in the process of pollination of fruits and seeds for human consumption, it is estimated that there would be an approximate 30 percent reduction in food production globally, impacting food prices and access. The dialogue demonstrated the socio-economic and ecological importance of bees, which contribute more than 65 percent of the pollination of wild crops and plants.

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

• Mexico is taking several actions to reposition itself in bovine exports to the US. As of March 2021, Mexican meat exports had grown by 11.4 percent in all branches and the commercialization of cattle to the US is reappearing, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER). States leading these exports are Chihuahua, Sonora, Durango, Coahuila, Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon. SADER announced that as of May 4 of the 2020-2021 marketing cycle, Mexican producers had exported 937,841 head of cattle to the US, which represents a growth of about 2 percent from the previous productive period. Of the exported cattle, 97.4 percent came from Campeche, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Quintana Roo, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Yucatan. 

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the National Institute for the Development of Capacities of the Rural Sector recently announced that they would implement a strategy to provide technical support to beekeeping and livestock units. Through this agreement both institutions agreed to take join actions and direct resources to the implementation of a strategy that allows them to meet the needs of these units. The agreement establishes that the Ministry of Agriculture and Inca Rural will carry out several projects, strategies and actions for sustainable rural, agricultural and food product development. 

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development aims to offer greater sustainability and productivity to the Mexican countryside through plant innovations. During the forum Observance of Plant Breeder’s Rights, the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Víctor Villalobos Arámbula, said that the sector should prioritize the quality of the seed achieved after years of genetic improvement. The Ministry will also prioritize the needs of breeders of ornamental varieties to provide them better areas of opportunity and access to better seeds.