Fertilizers for Well-Being Program Achieves 82.48% Target

The Fertilizers for Well-Being program has covered more than 2.9 million ha of key crops across Mexico, achieving 82.48% of its 2024 target, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) announced. The program has distributed 857,095t of DAP and urea fertilizers free of charge over the past six months. 

This initiative aims to boost production and increase yields of significant crops in various regions. The targeted crops include maize, milpa, beans, sugarcane, coffee, sorghum, barley, oats, rice, and cacao for the Spring-Summer cycle. To facilitate this, nearly 1,000 Agriculture-Segalmex Distribution Centers have been set up across Mexico to receive, store, and deliver fertilizers to pre-registered farmers for 2024.

To date, the program has benefited 1.845 million small and medium-scale producers, of which 37.07% are women and 31.83% are from indigenous communities. Initially aiming to support 2 million producers with 1 million t of fertilizer for 3 million ha, the program has expanded its goals to 2.227 million producers, 1.056 million t of inputs, and 3.5 million ha, including coffee and sugarcane crops.

The Ministry highlighted that by mid-July, 104,514 coffee producers and 73,249 sugarcane producers had received free fertilizers. States such as Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur, Queretaro, Colima, State of Mexico, Baja California, and Tlaxcala have surpassed a 95% advancement. Meanwhile, Campeche, Guerrero, Tabasco, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Morelos, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Durango, Zacatecas, Mexico City, Jalisco, and Nuevo Leon are between 90% and 95%.

The Fertilizers for Well-Being program, managed by the General Directorate of Soils and Water (DDSyA), is intensifying efforts to reach all 32 states before the end of the current federal administration. Additionally, the program has provided in-person training to over 368,000 producers and promoted virtual advisories to optimize input use and manage water and soil effectively. These efforts are backed by Seguridad Alimentaria Mexicana (SEGALMEX), the Ministry of Well-Being, and state and municipal governments.