The demand and supply for Mexican-grown fruits and vegetables have finally stabilized and are going strong, according to a recently published article.

Demand and Market of Mexican Fruits and Vegetables 

Mexico is one of the leading countries that supplies fruits and vegetables to the United States. However, their supply was affected recently due to the weather conditions and shipment restrictions caused by COVID-19. 

In a recently published article, there is a high demand for fresh produce from Mexico. This is because many went to the grocery stores to stock up on essentials. Since the pandemic began and nationwide lockdown started, the increasing demand for Mexican vegetables and fruits have dramatically increased.

Luckily, Mexican fresh produce products have now stabilized. Felix Peralta, Director of Integrated Logistics of SunFed, said: "We have several products in season right now. Summer squash, cucumbers, Roma tomatoes, eggplant, cantaloupes, and watermelons."

SunFed is just one of the companies that supply fruits and vegetables in Mexico and the United States. Moreover, Mexico has produced more than 37 million metric tonnes of fruits and vegetables in 2017, and 80 percent of this was sent to the United States.   

Commonly Grown Fruits and Vegetables in Mexico 

Fruits and Vegetables play a very vital role in Mexican agriculture. They fulfill the nutrient requirement in the country and its neighboring countries like the United States and Canada.

Some of the commonly grown fruits and vegetables in Mexico are tomatoes, bananas, chili peppers, oranges, lemons, limes, mangoes, and avocados.

In a webinar organized by the Mexican Association of Protected Horticulture, they told the attendees, "there was double-digit demand growth for some products over the same period last year."

Simon Stopol, with Mexican farm financier ProducePay, also said that they see an incredible growth or demand for Mexican fresh produce products. 

Mexico imports billions of dollars of its fully-grown and produced fruits and vegetables, and its tomatoes account for the majority of its supply. 

In another published article, oranges from Mexico are the leading fruit demand. These are Mexico's fruits and vegetable market production in 2018:

  • Oranges- 43.2 percent
  • Tomatoes- 11 percent
  • Chilies and peppers- 8.1 percent
  • Bananas- 5.7 percent
  • Avocados- 5.2 percent
  • Mangoes- 5.2 percent

During this year, the country imported fruits and vegetables to the United States that worth $800 million, and 63 percent of this account for vegetables while the remeaning 37 percent accounts for fruits.

There are three factors in the demand for fruits and vegetables from Mexico. These are the trade agreement between the U.S. and Mexico, the NAFTA, and, most of all, its location. Other trade partners in Mexico are Canada, Chile, Argentina, and Spain. 

Challenges Mexico Encountered this Year

It was only this year that Mexico encountered some problems in its vegetables and fruits production, and it is due to COVID-19 that force other countries to restrict its shipments to avoid contagion and weather-related events.

Denise Quiroga, SunFed's Sales Manager of Arizona, said: "We experienced a few challenges with weather-related events. Specifically, there were rains and cold temperatures during January, February, and the first part of March."

She also added: "During the last three to four weeks, though, the weather has been good for the growing of these products." Despite this, she insisted that the supply is now adequate, and the volumes are the same as last year.