USDBC Completes Initial Mexico Crop Survey

October 21, 2016
Posted in: News

Working with a new contractor and an upgraded reporting format, USDBC has issued its initial Mexico dry bean crop survey, conducting inspections in 85 different locations in five states from late august to mid September. According to Mexico’s Fishery and Agri Food Agency (SIAP), total bean planting area and harvest for the spring summer cycle are down but yield is up leading to increased production in the 2016 spring summer cycle with the same projection for the fall/winter planting cycle as well. Mexico’s total bean production is forecast to increase to almost 1.2 million tons in 2016 from 967,000 MMT in 2015. Total production is still down from historically high levels which have reached close to 1.5 MMT. Almost 80%, of Mexico’s bean production takes place during the spring summer planting cycle. Zacatecas continues to be the primary dry bean producing state, accounting for almost 30% of total production. 60% of Zacatecas’ bean crop is made up of black beans, 60% of Durango’s crop and 100% of Chihuahua’s crop consist of pinto beans.

Bean Field Zacatecas

Bean Field Zacatecas

Production levels in the principal dry bean growing states of Zacatecas, Durango, and Chihuahua are healthy and nearing historical averages. However, there were some setbacks in this year’s spring/summer dry bean production cycle due to:

-High percentage of late plantings leading to risk of frost
-Damage from excessive rainfall in Durango, Chihuahua, and Zacatecas
-Conversion of bean growing land to pumpkin, oats, wheat and barley in Zacatecas.

USDBC will be presenting its final production forecast in the coming weeks after resurveying the plantings.

mexico-bean-crops

Data Source: SIAP