“We will begin in November 2024 with the aerial dispersal of sterile flies, which are a kind of extinguisher because they interrupt the fly’s reproductive cycle. Since November, we have been using only a few flies because the United States is the only country with a sterile fly production plant,” he emphasized.

The plague Mexico is facing today is a consequence of decisions made by the United States, the federal official indicated, adding that “the screwworm had ceased to be a problem for several years because it was an eradicated pest , and Mexico had no responsibility for its control.”

“Mexico had no responsibility to control this pest when it was south of Panama. Our North American partners did have a responsibility; the problem is that it got out of control; it traveled more than 3,700 kilometers until it reached Mexico,” he explained.

At Tuesday’s morning press conference, he recalled that when the United States announced the closure of its border to Mexican cattle, the country had taken the bilaterally agreed-upon actions to combat the pest.

The head of Sader pointed out that the first case in Mexico was reported on November 24, 2024, at checkpoints that had been established in advance, and indicated that “in June 2023, the screwworm plague reappeared in Panama; it is endemic to South America.”

A veterinary training campaign was launched in May 2024 , and in July of that year, the national emergency response was activated to carry out a series of checks, Berdegué emphasized.

Mexico has requested technical assistance from its northern neighbor to build a sterile fly plant in Chiapas, and for now, the United States is supplying the country with these flies, said Berdegué, who noted that further control measures will be implemented .

“Control of livestock movements will be strengthened. This sweep will be carried out from the Gulf of Mexico in Veracruz to the Pacific Ocean in Oaxaca and Guerrero. We are visiting all the ranches. We are doing everything materially possible,” he emphasized.

On May 11, Berdegué announced the U.S. government’s decision to close the border to Mexican livestock due to the screwworm infestation, which Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum described as an unfair decision.

“Mexico isn’t anyone’s piñata. What we have is collaboration and coordination, but there’s no subordination, nor can we just follow what’s said every day,” Sheinbaum clarified during the morning press conference on May 12.

This would have serious economic consequences for Mexican cattle ranchers since, according to Sader, in 2024 Mexico exported more than 1.2 million head of cattle to the United States .

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In response to the U.S. Department of Commerce ‘s announcement that it will impose 20.91% tariffs on Mexican tomato imports, Julio Berdegué , head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader) , indicated that the Mexican government will seek dialogue with U.S. authorities to prevent this measure.

“We’re going to start talking, we’re going to start a dialogue, as the president (Claudia Sheinbaum) has always said. We’re seeking dialogue, and we’ll see how this ends,” he explained.

At Tuesday’s morning press conference, the federal official noted that there are two active cases in the country against chicken and pork leg from the United States.

“Mexico has two long-standing active investigations: one against U.S. chicken; that measure is pending and ready to be implemented; and another against pork leg,” he emphasized.

He explained that the northern neighbor’s measure stems from a decades-long conflict with producers in Florida and other states who accuse Mexicans of dumping practices by offering tomatoes at a lower price.

“For decades, Florida growers have accused us, in our opinion, without reason, that Mexican growers sell their tomatoes in the United States below cost, which is not true,” he added.

He clarified that the tariff announced the day before has no relation to the reciprocal tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump , which are currently paused for 90 days.

” Ninety percent of the tomatoes the United States imports from around the world come from Mexico, and six out of every 10 tomatoes consumed in the United States are Mexican, so the cost of salads and ketchup will increase,” the federal official said.

According to the  Mexican Government  ‘s  Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP) , in 2024 alone, tomato exports totaled  1.8 million tons , 98% of which  were sent to the United States.

“They can’t replace us, because there aren’t many other countries that produce this quantity of excellent tomatoes at a reasonable price,” the Secretary of Agriculture pointed out.

The new measure will affect Mexican tomato producers and U.S. consumers, according to the Agricultural Market Consulting Group (GCMA) , as this decision “distorts” agricultural trade between the two countries. Furthermore, Mexican producers stand out in this market due to their high competitiveness in terms of logistics, costs, and quality.

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced the tariff on Mexican tomatoes the day before, which will go into effect on July 14 if authorities from both countries fail to reach an agreement.

If so, the new measure would be added to a series of tariffs already applied by the United States to Mexico, such as those on steel and aluminum imports, as well as the 25% tax on vehicles manufactured in the country.

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Between January and July of this year, Mexico maintained a surplus in the agri-food trade balance of six thousand 382 million dollars (mdd) , that is, 9.38% more than in the same period in 2023, totaling 33 thousand 276 million dollars, reported the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader) .

The federal agency highlighted in a statement that during this period, agricultural exports grew 5.54% to 33,276 million dollars , while imports increased 4.67% , totaling 26,895 million dollars .

With these figures, the agricultural and agro-industrial balance sheet remains in surplus, and records its third largest positive balance in 30 years , detailed Sader.

Domestically, the agricultural and fishing balance recorded a surplus of 2,704 million dollars , 1,580 million dollars higher than that achieved in January-July 2023, an increase of 140.59%, with exports of 14,751 million dollars.

Meanwhile, the agro-industrial balance had a surplus of 3,678 million dollars , which was 1,033 million dollars less than that registered in the same period last year, with foreign sales of 18,525 million dollars.

Sader also pointed out that beverages , vegetables and fruits were the main export groups with 61% of the total.

In the first seven months of the year, the exports that grew the most were frozen orange juice , with an increase of 80.85%, followed by cattle, with an increase of 58.74%, and coffee, tea or yerba mate preparations, with 50.59 percent.

From January to July, the exports with the highest economic value were beer , with an amount of 4,161 million dollars.

This was followed by tequila and mezcal , with 2,505 million dollars; avocado , 2,091 million dollars; fresh or refrigerated tomatoes , with 1,963 million dollars, and bakery products , with 1,640 million dollars.

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