Mexico: GIEWS Country Brief: The United Mexican States 23-March-2026

Country: Mexico Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Please refer to the attached file. FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT Planted area of 2026 main wheat and minor maize crops estimated at below-average level Cereal import requirements in 2025/26 anticipated above average Prices of white maize, black beans and rice lower year-on-year in February 2026 Planted area of 2026 main wheat and minor maize crops estimated at below-average level Planting operations of the 2026 main wheat and minor maize crops were completed in mid-February. Satellite imagery indicates suboptimal crop conditions in the key producing northwestern areas (red areas in the NDVI Anomaly map) due to below-average rainfall amounts since last December, which reduced the availability of irrigation water in several reservoirs. Weather forecasts point to a high likelihood of average precipitation amounts in the March to May period, with positive effects on restoring crop conditions and benefitting crop development. According to official sources, planting intentions of the main wheat and minor maize crops are expected to be below average, albeit higher than the drought-affected low levels of 2025. Planting operations of the 2026 main maize crop are expected to start in April. Although official forecasts are not available yet, the area sown is likely to be below last year’s average level due to lower year-on-year prices that may discourage farmers to plant. However, weather forecasts point to average to above-average rainfall amounts over key producing central areas in the April to June period, which would provide conducive conditions for planting and crop development. Planting operations of the 2026 main sorghum crop, which accounts for about 55 percent of the annual production, are nearing completion. Although the official survey on farmers’ planting intentions points to an average area, below-average precipitation amounts over the key producing state of Tamaulipas in January and February raise concerns on its feasibility. However, average rainfall amounts are forecast in the Apri to June period and are likely to have positive effects on crop yields. Cereal import requirements in 2025/26 anticipated above average Cereal import requirements in the 2025/26 marketing year (October/September) are anticipated at 31. 8 million tonnes, about 20 percent above the previous five-year average, reflecting the high demand for yellow maize by the domestic feeding sector. Below-average white maize production in 2024 and 2025 also contributed to high import needs. Prices of white maize, black beans and rice lower year-on-year in February 2026 Prices of white maize were mostly stable or weakened across markets in recent months and were lower year-on-year in February 2026, following two consecutive years of above-average imports. After declining continuously since August 2025, wholesale prices of black beans did not change in February and were about 25 percent lower than their year-earlier levels in Mexico City market due to the higher year-on-year output harvested in 2025. Prices of rice have been decreasing since June 2024 on account of an increase in availability from imports due to declining international quotations. As a result, prices in February 2026 were nearly 35 percent below their levels a year earlier. Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This brief was prepared using the following data/tools: FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance Sheet (CCBS) https: //www. fao. org/giews/data-tools/en/. FAO/GIEWS Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool https: //fpma. fao. org/. FAO/GIEWS Earth Observation for Crop Monitoring https: //www. fao. org/giews/earthobservation/. Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) https: //www. ipcinfo. org/.

Read full story on Reliefweb