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Production
Estimates and Crop Assessment Division |
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Production
Estimates and Crop Assessment Division |
January 14, 2003
The future of dry bean production in Mexico is in question. Inconsistent weather patterns and economic stress threaten to make it unprofitable in many states. The best soils are planted to crops other than dried beans, and rising costs have made even traditional seed-bed enhancers a luxury many producers cannot afford. Waning soil vitality coupled with decreasing capacity to hold moisture is forcing diehard producers to question whether the nutritional value of their dried beans is high enough to return an acceptable level of income.
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An extensive variety of dry beans is grown across Mexico, including black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, and others. Every state grows dried beans; however, Zacatecas, Durango, and Sinaloa are the states commonly associated with dry bean production. Combined, those states account for over 985,400 of the annual average of 1.85 million hectares devoted to dry beans between 1990 and 2000. Chiapas, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, and Nayarit also add significant area to the nation’s annual total. Low production reflects the low-tech cultivation practices and economic forces at work on the farm. From 1990 to 2000, Sinaloa planted an average of 121,200 hectares to dry beans each year, but produced an average of only 164,800 tons, despite irrigating 80 percent of its area. Zacatecas produced an average of 330,300 tons of dry beans from 614,000 hectares over the same eleven year period; about 7 percent of those fields were irrigated. Given poor soil quality, increased inputs are necessary to raise yields, but producers typically report that revenue in the marketplace does not offset the added production expense.
Water remains the single most limiting production factor for dried beans. In general, beans require less moisture than do higher-value crops, such as corn. Insufficient rainfall and distribution by the annual monsoon during several summers in the 1990s hindered dryland operations. Replenishment of reservoirs and lakes by tropical storms did not occur with the necessary frequency. Irrigation was constricted by the volume of water allocations made available by the National Water Commission. When the choice is between irrigating quality soil or marginal soil, or high-value crops versus low-value crops, beans generally lose out. Between 26 and 45 percent of Mexico’s dry beans produced from 1990 to 2000 came from irrigated fields. There was a higher percentage of irrigated dry beans produced in years when rainfall was low. Some of this water came from wells, not all of which were privately owned. Producers of corn and sorghum in the southern two-thirds of the country drilled wells in recent years, but are finding less water. As in most countries, management of water for agriculture (and water disposal) is an ongoing social problem, and more Mexican states have water problems than don’t. The demand for scarce water resources may overwhelm industry attempts at consolidation, technical assistance, and equipment upgrading of dry beans.
According to Mexico's Ministry of Agriculture, the 2002/03 dry bean crop is forecast at 1.2 million tons, which reflects a normal crop year. Weather during the 2002 spring-summer cycle harvest period (Oct.- Dec.) was favorably dry for harvesting. According to the National Dry Beans Council crop survey team, which visited Zacatecas in October, the crop was the best seen in the past 15 to 20 years. Rain had been plentiful and the planting of beans is estimated to have increased from 20 to 25 percent.
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For more information, contact
Ron White
of the Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division at (202) 690-0137
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