Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced an agreement with the national steel industry with the aim of strengthening steel production in the country and reducing dependence on imports.

The agreement, described as “historic”, is part of the federal government’s strategy to bolster a sector considered key to production chains, particularly in industries such as automotive and construction; as part of the Mexico Plan.

The agreement includes measures to incentivize national production and promote domestic consumption of steel , in line with an industrial policy that seeks to prioritize national content in different sectors; all this under three main pillars: public procurement , infrastructure financing and commitments to the construction sector .

This announcement comes in a complex context for the Mexican steel industry, marked by trade tensions with the United States, with tariffs of up to 50 percent.

It’s worth noting that Mexico is a major exporter of steel products, with the United States as its primary destination. According to the National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry (Canacero) , between 70% and 80% of Mexican steel exports go to the U.S. market, reflecting the high level of production integration in North America.

Furthermore, the industry faces capacity utilization below 60% , pressured by both trade measures and international competition, especially from Asian countries.

Sheinbaum’s announcement comes in parallel with new measures to prioritize the use of domestic steel in public projects, a strategy that seeks to strengthen domestic demand in the face of an adverse international environment.

The agreement with the steel industry also comes in the lead-up to the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) , where steel and aluminum are emerging as key issues on the bilateral agenda, especially regarding tariffs and rules of origin.

For his part,  Marcelo Ebrard, head of the Ministry of Economy , underlined the strategic importance of the steel industry for Mexico , highlighting its role in productive autonomy, employment, and the security of industrial chains.

“ It is an extraordinarily important industry for autonomy, for, I would say, even the security of our production chain ,” he stated.

Ebrard emphasized that the national steel industry is a pillar for multiple industries, providing essential inputs for various production chains in the country.

“ The Mexican steel industry is responsible for producing a huge number of inputs for almost all of Mexico’s industrial chains. That’s why we have to take great care of it; besides being very important for employment, it generates value ,” he said.

In numbers, the Mexican steel industry produces around 18 to 20 million tons of steel per year under normal conditions , according to Canacero, and also contributes about 2% of the manufacturing GDP and generates more than 600,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Ebrard also highlighted the dynamism of investments in the sector, referring to his recent visit to a project in Pesquería, Nuevo León.

“ It’s practically a city that’s being built to produce highly sophisticated steel in Mexico and stop importing it, especially for the automotive industry ,” he emphasized.

He added that “ we need to organize ourselves to reduce imports from other parts of the world and so that the industry, including ourselves, can reciprocate the effort it is making, the investment effort, to expand its plants, and help them to get through these months and coming years in the best possible conditions .”

The federal official stated that, while price remains a relevant factor, the origin of the products will be a determining factor in decision-making.

“ It’s not just the price; where it’s made matters a lot. Sometimes we don’t make everything and we have to import some things, but we have to make the effort to, first, see what we can do here in our country ,” he said

He also reiterated that the central objective of the agreement is to support the national steel industry and strengthen domestic production.

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The National Chamber of the Textile Industry (Canaintex) celebrated the publication of the draft of the First Amendment to Annex 29 of the General Rules of Foreign Trade 2026 to strengthen the traceability of the sector and prevent smuggling from continuing to wreak havoc on this industry.

In an interview with T21, Rafael Torre Lamuño, president of Canaintex, explained that after the 2024 decree that prohibited certain finished products, smuggling migrated to bonded warehouses, where imports grew by 600 percent.

In that regard, he detailed the seriousness of the previous situation and the importance of the new regulations issued by the tax and customs authorities in the current fiscal year.

“The misuse of the regime in Strategic Fiscal Zones (RFE) presents a significant risk to sensitive sectors, such as textiles, due to the difficulties in tracing goods upon their release from customs. Additionally, not all inputs entering the RFE were processed and exported: some were diverted to the domestic market irregularly, to the detriment of formal industry and tax revenue,” Torre Lamuño stated.

The official document establishes the exclusion of textile goods from temporary import regimes, bonded warehouses, and RFE (Regional Export Regimes) to prevent irregular entry. This measure responds to the fact that the misuse of these schemes allowed finished products to enter the country without fulfilling tax obligations , directly affecting domestic businesses in the sector.

Regarding the future operation of the venues, Torre Lamuño considered that the private sector maintains a constant technical dialogue with the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) and the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM) .

The current strategy seeks to implement data science and technological tools in ports such as Lázaro Cárdenas and Manzanillo to detect suspicious shipments before they arrive in the country. The agency maintains that these oversight measures are necessary to ensure a level playing field among competitors and eliminate practices that undermine the rule of law.

Torre Lamuño emphasized that, although progress has been made, continued work on predictive data analysis is necessary to mitigate the smuggling that still persists along the country’s northern land borders. To achieve effective surveillance, Canaintex reiterated its commitment to collaborating with the federal government.

The head of the organization added that the outlook for the sector in 2026 is positive, estimating that the second half of 2026 will be one of the best periods for textile manufacturing due to the market recovery . He also pointed out that the combination of new domestic content regulations and the digitalization of customs will help boost the industry’s competitiveness in the short term.

The Mexican textile industry creates more than 1.1 million jobs and generates the highest added value of any manufacturing sector in the country, with 37.6% national content in its exports, according to data from Canaintex.

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Faced with the closure of highways in at least 14 states of the country, resulting from the national strike called by the National Association of Transporters (ANTAC)  and the  National Front for the Rescue of the Mexican Countryside (FNRCM) , the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry (Canacintra) warned about millions of dollars in losses that these measures generate in industry and commerce .

The organization stated in a press release that road closures and blockades in strategic logistics corridors are having a severe impact on the national economy.

In that regard, he indicated that more than 56% of cargo in Mexico is transported by land, so he estimated that road blockades could cause losses exceeding 750 million pesos (mdp) daily .

“In prolonged or simultaneous scenarios, losses can escalate between three and six billion pesos in a week, affecting companies, workers and consumers,” he stressed.

The agency reiterated that each stopped transport unit can represent losses of up to 180,000 pesos per day, in addition to generating disruptions in inventories, contractual breaches and delays in deliveries , with chain effects that impact exports, logistics costs and supply of essential inputs.

He stressed that the impact not only falls on the industry, but also on millions of families who depend on the continuous flow of goods and services throughout the country.

Canacintra acknowledged the legitimate right to protest, but cautioned that dialogue must be the primary means of reaching agreements and sustainable solutions. Therefore, it called on the federal government to keep institutional channels open, prioritize dialogue, and avoid measures that could harm the national economy . It also reiterated its willingness to collaborate as a partner in promoting solutions.

So far, truckers and farmers have carried out blockades, partial closures and takeovers of toll booths in at least 14 states of the country.

Some of the routes affected with total closures are:  Baja California in San Luis Río Colorado-Mexicali kilometer (km) 3+200;  Guanajuato on the La Piedad–Pénjamo highway km 075+000, and in Hidalgo , where protesters are on the Álamo-Tamazunchale highway km 020+300.

Partial road closures are occurring in  Chihuahua and Tamaulipas ; in addition, there are protesters at some toll plazas in the State of Mexico, Michoacán and Sinaloa .

The indefinite strike called by ANTAC and FNRCM responds to problems that have persisted in the sector: insecurity on highways ,  high operating costs and lack of progress on previously established agreements with federal authorities, according to these organizations themselves.

Main image taken from the X account of the National Guard Highways .

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Logistical challenges in the healthcare sector have been a recurring theme in recent years. Rafael Gual, director general of the National Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Canifarma) , pointed out in an interview with T21 that drug distribution is not an intrinsic capability of manufacturers, but rather a specialized link in the chain .

“A high level of specialization is required; improvisation is not an option either, because medicines require a very different treatment than almost all other products, from ensuring cold chains, and obviously, different storage temperatures. You can’t go to 40 degrees because the product degrades, so you must have, if not refrigeration, then significant insulation, (in addition to) the units,” he noted.

He also highlighted that one of the major logistical challenges in the distribution of medicines is the last mile, which is hampered by the country’s geography, and noted that ” the biggest challenge for logistics is last-mile delivery . This dispersion required to reach the 15,000 necessary points is fundamental,” he stated.

Regarding security, Gual warned about the impact of drug theft on highways, noting that the problem goes beyond material loss .

“These are complications that have to be reported to the Health Department itself to tell them, ‘Hey, this is happening,’ because we no longer know; the product’s traceability is obviously broken. If it’s stored under appropriate conditions, it usually doesn’t happen. Anyway, there are other complications,” he shared.

Relationship with the Federal Government

Regarding Canifarma’s relationship with the federal government, Gual pointed out that, historically until 2018, the industry operated under a consolidated bidding scheme where distributors played a fundamental role , and explained the breakdown of this scheme in 2019.

“When distribution is separated from manufacturing—that is, when distribution is put out to tender on one hand and manufacturing on the other—it obviously caused a significant imbalance. Much of this was due to the inexperience of the logistics operators who were hired. Distributors were demonized under the López Obrador administration, and many were hired who were often unprepared. The system changed several times,” he stated.

Despite past difficulties, Gual noted a positive change in tone with Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration.

Regarding the importance of anticipation in the supply chain, he explained that planning is fundamental .

“Planning, which is fundamental for a timely and sufficient supply, is also being considered; in fact, we have already started the process for 2027-2028. The decision is expected to be issued in June, so we will have about six months for companies to prepare and have a significant or sufficient and timely supply in January 2027,” he reported.

Canifarma, founded in 1946, is an independent institution representing the pharmaceutical and medical device industry in Mexico. With over 180 member companies, it brings together the leading players in human and veterinary medicines and medical devices. Its mission is to ensure the availability of and access to safe healthcare products.

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President Claudia Sheinbaum appointed Andrés Lajous as director of the Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) , who will be in charge not only of regulation, but also of promoting the trains that were announced in the last six-year term.

In a press conference, Lajous explained that the constitutional reform to article 28 that was approved on Tuesday night in the Chamber of Deputies , ensured that passenger trains are a priority area for the Mexican State.

He recalled that in 1995 a reform was carried out which initiated the process of train privatisation, which meant the disappearance of passenger trains and the predominance of freight trains.

However, in 2018 the recovery of passenger service began under former President López Obrador, with the Maya Train, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Train and the ‘El Insurgente’ Mexico-Toluca train.

“This has allowed that currently 7.5% of the total number of roads in operation are used for passenger transport services. What the constitutional reform does is recover the roads for the State and that the 18 thousand kilometers of passenger service can be operated by public entities, not only those that are already operating ,” Lajous explained.

He said that with the reform, the Mexican State regains the right to use railway lines to provide passenger transport services , so the Federal Executive can grant allocations to public companies or concessions to private individuals.

“The reform raises the priority for the provision of public passenger rail transport services to constitutional level as a priority area for national development. These reforms seek to implement passenger trains on existing right-of-way, without affecting the public freight rail transport service,” said the head of the ARTF.

He explained that the reform also promotes this recovery, as was done with the implementation of passenger trains during the last six years, which implies greater safety, better quality of life, reduction in the carbon footprint of travel and reduction of accidents.

“Many communities were isolated after privatization. These were communities that were connected to the rest of the country through passenger train services, but when they became freight-only services, they were no longer connected. The plan will allow these places to regain connectivity,” said the official.

For her part, Claudia Sheinbaum stated that the reform allows the Mexican State to resume the right to use the railway tracks for passenger transport services.  She assured that this is very important because, at the same time, the concession for railway freight transport is maintained. “The Constitution already allows, openly and clearly, that passenger trains can operate on those same tracks,” said the president.

Lajous recalled that during the last six-year term, 2,240 kilometers of passenger rail service were put into operation. Meanwhile, during the current administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum, more than three thousand kilometers of railroad tracks will be put into service for passenger trains.

Andrés Lajous Loaeza was Secretary of Mobility for the Government of Mexico City . He holds a degree in Political Science and International Relations from the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE) . He holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master’s degree in Sociology from Princeton University . He has been an editor of political magazines, an opinion leader in various media, and a party leader.

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