With seven billion 520 million dollars (mdd) worth of merchandise exported in the first quarter of 2025 , Guanajuato ranks seventh nationwide , with a 5.63% share of total national shipments abroad. Its historical engine, the manufacturing of transportation equipment , contributed five billion 094 million dollars , although with a contraction of -20.6% compared to the same period of the previous year, according to figures from the Coordinator for the Promotion of Foreign Trade (Cofoce) .
Guanajuato’s exports are largely concentrated in industry, which in the first quarter of 2025 accounted for 89.2% of the total , with a value of $8.299 billion , albeit a -7.7% drop compared to the previous year. In contrast, agrifood products grew 5% , reaching $697 million and accounting for 7.5% , confirming the diversification of the export market.
Sectors such as fashion (2.6%) , construction (0.4%) and decoration and furniture (0.3%) maintain smaller shares, but showed positive variations, especially construction with an advance of 16.2 percent.
On the other hand, the plastic and rubber industry fell -28.7% , with 392 million dollars , while the manufacturing of textile inputs registered 16.6 million dollars , with a decrease of -13.5% , although it maintains 7.66% of the national total .
In the case of food, Guanajuato appears to be a direct competitor to states like Nuevo León and Veracruz , consolidating the agroindustry as a sector with room for growth.
Faced with this scenario, the state government is seeking to expand its horizons with the Bajío Logistics Gateway Economic Development Hub , located south of Celaya.
With an area of 52 hectares and a public-private investment of two thousand 500 million pesos , the project plans to generate three thousand direct and indirect jobs , in addition to attracting capital to key sectors such as automotive, agro-industrial, retail , plastics and logistics , explained Claudia Cristina Villaseñor Aguilar, Secretary of Economy of Guanajuato.
The official highlighted that the infrastructure makes this hub a strategic node: rail access with Ferromex and CPKC , highways 45 and 57 that connect with the ports of Lázaro Cárdenas, Manzanillo and Altamira , as well as with the borders of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez .
Added to this is the proximity to the international airports of Querétaro (81 km) and Silao (101 km) , reinforcing the multimodal vocation of the Bajío, Villaseñor told T21.
Within the framework of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the Bajío Logistics Gateway will be integrated into North American corridors, adopting international standards and technologies to streamline the supply chain.
The goal is to “guarantee competitiveness, attract investment, and consolidate Guanajuato as a strategic hub for regional trade,” Villaseñor said.
The development will be carried out under criteria of sustainability and orderly planning , aligned with environmental regulations and inter-institutional coordination.
“This hub is part of Guanajuato’s economic development hub strategy and reflects our vision of diversifying the state’s economy beyond the automotive sector,” the secretary emphasized.
Beyond the numbers, Guanajuato’s path toward a more diversified economy faces structural challenges in infrastructure, security, and logistical efficiency .
Dependence on the automotive sector requires accelerating the consolidation of new sectors such as agrifood and textiles, while ensuring a competitive environment compared to other exporting countries.
Economic development hubs , such as the Bajío Logistics Gateway, are a long-term commitment to balancing the state’s productive balance.
Its success will depend not only on attracting investment, but also on its ability to retain it based on criteria of sustainability, innovation, and business confidence in an increasingly uncertain global environment.
In addition, Guanajuato’s export map maintains North America as its natural destination , concentrating 94.4% of shipments in the first quarter of 2025. The United States absorbed 84% of sales with seven thousand 815 million dollars , although with a fall of -9.3% , while Canada showed an upturn of 38.9% , adding 975 million dollars and consolidating itself as the second trading partner.
In contrast, shipments to South America, Asia, and Europe remain marginal, reflecting the region’s strong dependence on the North American market.
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