16 June 2006 - A report from the Secretariat of Agriculture indicates that organic agriculture has been an excellent alternative for more than 80,000 producers in Mexico because it allows them to increase the price of their product by about 40 percent.
According to the report there are some 300,000 hectares of organic agriculture in Mexico, and it is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of the organic production is export oriented. Produce is exported mainly to the European Union, United States, and Canada for about $250 million dollars.
The main organic products in Mexico are: coffee, aromatic herbs, horticultural products, cocoa, grapes, coconut, corn, avocado, mango, pineapple, bananas, apples, aloe vera, and medical plants.
The main producer states of organic products are; Chiapas 30%, Oaxaca 18%, Queretaro 10%, Guerrero 6% and Tabasco 6%.
Article extracted from "Mexico Agricultural Situation Weekly Highlights and Hot Bites #22 2006"