Agriculture is vital to the socioeconomic fabric of Mexico, and Dr. Arnulfo Del Torro Morales, general director of technology and development for the Ministry of Agriculture, emphasized the country’s historic and ongoing importance with his address Monday at the FCI Trade Summit. His presentation consisted of three parts: agricultural trends in Mexico, agricultural production in Mexico, and federal agricultural programs.
In the first portion, Del Toro estimated that about half of Mexico’s farmers are small shareholders; approximately 15% are commercial growers, and the other 35% are in some phase of transition between the two. The third group is especially critical toward Mexico’s continued emergence as an important exporter of a wide range of high value crops.
生产统计数据显示，墨西哥的水果产量自 1994 年以来增加了近 50%，而蔬菜产量几乎翻了一番。 Del Toro 告诉该组织，这些增长和多样化的趋势预计将继续下去，并提到辣椒和浆果作物的机会越来越多。
His discussion of federal programs included those pertaining to sustainability and food safety, as well as several projects relating to increased use of technology. He re-emphasized the importance of the latter in keeping Mexico’s prominence on the rise.
“Like much of the world, Mexican farmers are becoming very advanced in the use of technology and innovative systems to ensure the quality and yield of their crops,” Del Toro said. “Therefore the continued development of all types of field technology is extremely important to keeping our agricultural industry strong.”