U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently led the largest USDA agribusiness trade mission in the history of the U.S. to Mexico City.
During the trip to Mexico, 41 U.S. businesses, 33 cooperators and agriculture advocacy groups, six state departments of agriculture, and 150 participants conducted more than 500 business-to-business meetings over three days—including a meeting with Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum.
This was a critical opportunity for American businesses to further trade ties, and for the USDA to continue its aggressive response to the New World Screwworm (NWS) in Mexico.
“I thank President Sheinbaum for welcoming me to the Presidential Palace where we had a productive and positive conversation about how we will continue to work closely together to eradicate the NWS which is negatively impacting both our economies, including conducting a comprehensive joint review of our NWS response and efforts to ensure enforcement of our joint responsibilities in the 1944 water treaty,” said Rollins. “This week was an incredible opportunity to connect buyers and sellers with over 500 meetings over three days, pushing for American exports into Mexico’s ethanol market, and discuss the upcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.”
In addition to participating in this trade mission, Secretary Rollins met with the team at Mexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality (SENASICA) Headquarters NWS Control Room to showcase bilateral efforts to combat the spread of NWS in Mexico. Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins accompanied Secretary Rollins on the trip and visited the State of Chiapas to review NWS containment practices and enforcement.
Secretary Rollins and Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg visited a Walmart Super Center in Mexico City and Bimbo Bakery, both major importers of U.S. products for use in their operations. Grupo Bimbo imported nearly $400 million in U.S. ingredients in 2024, including wheat, dairy, eggs, potatoes, and nuts.
Mexico was the top market for U.S. agricultural exports in 2024, with shipments valued at $30.2 billion. Consumer-oriented products, including meat and meat products, dairy, processed food, fruits, and beverages, constituted nearly 50 percent of that trade, with a value of $14.6 billion. Bulk commodity exports to Mexico accounted for one-third of all agricultural shipments, valued at $10.0 billion, led by corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, and pulses.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
