Guanajuato’s agriculture and food industry looks to diversification in the face of global challenges

Guanajuato’s food cluster seeks to diversify international markets, highlighting Colombia, Japan and Central America as strategic destinations.

León, Guanajuato – The food cluster in the state of Guanajuato will seek to expand into other markets, including Colombia, to respond to the uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies in the United States.

During the first meeting of the sector, held this morning in the city of León, the president of the cluster, Carlos Muñoz Salcedo, announced that they have already had contact with producers from Medellín, who have expressed a growing need for meat products for processed foods.

He affirmed that there are also commercial alliances with Japan and other parts of Central America, as well as potential growth in the domestic market, including the interior of the state.

«There are companies that are looking for other markets within Mexico because of the same uncertainty. We received the president of the Colombian Meat Products Association and there is a lot of interest. The meat industry in Mexico is much more technologically and genetically advanced, which affects productivity and the price of meat. Last year we were in Japan and it is a very interesting market, Guanajuato sends pork to Japan and there have also been deals in tequila and prepared drinks. There is a great opportunity,» he told the press.

The agri-food industry accounts for 20% of Guanajuato’s annual exports to other countries, second only to the automotive industry, which accounts for 21%.

And although the United States received most of the agricultural products, Muñoz Salcedo believes that the commercial alliance will not be so easy to dissolve, considering the high demand for fresh vegetables and canned products that the American market has, especially in the face of climatic phenomena.

«Right now there is a winter storm that even had snowfall in the Florida area, the fires and the lack of water in California, I think that makes us complementary countries and the integration that we have already achieved will not be lost so easily. The American consumer decides what he wants, and although the economy is linked to politics, the consumer makes his laws. In the winter, we can produce what they cannot, and what is better than to get it from Mexico than to look for it in South America or Asia, where costs are higher,» he pointed out.

Translated from the original version :https://periodicocorreo.com.mx/leon/industria-agroalimentaria-de-guanajuato-apuesta-por-diversificacion-ante-retos-globales-20250122-119425.html