Fair Trade Support, Import Rule Shifts and Sanitary Alerts

Mexico released the Fair Trade program aiming to support small and medium-sized farmers in highly marginalized regions. Meanwhile, the federal government has extended PACIC import facilitations through 2026 and removed tariff exemptions for beef, pork, dairy, rice, beans, and oils.

This is the Week in Agribusiness and Food!

Mexico to Support Farmers Through Fair Trade Program in 2026

Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) will implement new operating rules for its Fair Trade program starting in 2026, targeting small and medium-sized producers in highly marginalized regions through guaranteed prices and direct incentives for strategic crops such as corn, wheat, rice, beans, coffee, cocoa, honey, and vegetables. The program addresses structural challenges including low prices, dependence on intermediaries, limited infrastructure, and weak bargaining power. 

Mexico Extends PACIC Import Rules, Cuts Tariff Exemptions

Mexico updated its basic-basket import regime under PACIC through a decree published Dec. 31, 2025, narrowing the list of tariff-exempt goods while extending administrative facilitations for imports through the end of 2026. The changes remove tariff exemptions for products such as meat, dairy, rice, beans and vegetable oils, aligning inflation-control measures with Plan México and food sovereignty goals. While the decree preserves streamlined compliance procedures and sets transition rules for existing contracts, it underscores that food safety, sanitary controls and consumer protection oversight remain fully in force.

Mexico Sets Import Quotas for Rice, Beef, and Pork for 2026

Mexico’s Ministry of Economy established duty-free import quotas for rice, beef and pork totaling more than 320,000t to ensure domestic supply, diversify sourcing and support price stability through 2026. The measures respond to structural production gaps, rising import dependence and high supplier concentration, particularly in rice and pork, while aiming to avoid disruptions to national producers. All quotas will be allocated through public bidding under a minimum-price mechanism, with transferable certificates valid until Dec. 31, 2026.

Rosca de Reyes Sales Boost Mexico’s Baking Industry

Mexico’s baking industry expects Rosca de Reyes sales to surpass MX$3.05 billion, reinforcing a long-standing cultural tradition while supporting household economies and more than 55,400 bakeries nationwide. Despite a 10.8% increase in production costs driven by higher prices for inputs such as yeast, candied fruit and eggs, industry representatives stress that the tradition remains affordable and accessible to consumers. The sector highlights Rosca de Reyes as a high-quality product that sustains a broad value chain, generating 570,000 direct jobs and providing a livelihood for roughly 4 million Mexicans.

Mexico Reports Screwworm Cases

Mexico is confronting a resurgence of the New World screwworm, with confirmed cases in the State of Mexico and Tamaulipas triggering sanitary alerts, livestock controls and intensified surveillance by agricultural authorities. The outbreak, which follows infections across southern states since late 2024, has serious trade and economic implications, including a US ban on live Mexican livestock imports and concerns over potential billion-dollar losses if the pest spreads north. In response, Mexico and the United States are strengthening binational containment efforts, expanding sterile insect technique programs and urging producers to improve wound care and early detection to prevent further spread.