MEXICO: Mexico’s honey producers set a new record last year, exporting 45,000 tonnes valued at more than US $150 million. The figures put Mexico in third place on the list of the world’s top honey exporters.
Despite the new record, the Agriculture Secretariat (Sagarpa) intends to do more to promote honey production with incentives to improve production, harvesting, processing and marketing processes.
A senior official with Sagarpa told a meeting of producers in Tlaxcala that honey production has averaged 57,000 tonnes over the past five years, and estimates put the 2015 figure at 61,881.
Francisco Gurría Treviño said Mexico is now the sixth largest honey producer in the world after actively promoting exports for more than 50 years. Germany, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Saudia Arabia and Belgium are the principal export markets.
China, Argentina, New Zealand and Germany are among the other major exporting countries. Some 42,000 families are engaged in raising bees for honey production, operating 1.9 million hives.
