The National Association of Berries Exporters (Aneberries) said Mexico will have record sales of strawberries to the United States despite Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“Mexico is in an unbeatable position of being the (major) supplier of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries for North America,” said Miguel Ángel Curiel, president of anneberries.
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“No one can compete as a country, for the rapid arrival (of the load) from Mexico, even no other country can do so fast,” said the businessman in the announcement of the 15th edition of the Anneberries International Congress, which will celebrate on July 23 and 24 at Expo Guadalajara.
The organization projects a 25 percent increase in the sale of strawberries to the United States at the end of 2025, despite the threat of pests, diseases and commercial barriers.
He commented that there is an impact on the short term on the value chain for tariffs, mainly producers and marketers.
He said that in the medium term any tariff will have an effect on the consumer, “so we ask for clear rules of the game so that our industry and our companies continue.”
He said that the area planted with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries became above 60 thousand hectares, but is decreasing and is located at 50 thousand.
“We are finishing the harvest season of 2024-2025 and it has two or three weeks left. There are still strawberries, so that the real surface at the national level will be in November 2025, but it will be around 48 thousand and 50 thousand hectares,” said Juan José Flores García, General Director of Aneberies.
From strawberry, the cultivation of greater surface and production volume in Mexico, 250 thousand tons are exported to the United States.
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“This year is surprising and we are going to close around 300 thousand tons, it will be a surprising case of strawberry because we normally close exports at the end of March and there is much (from the fruit) for the national market as frozen and process,” he said.
He added that last week was still exported to the United States, the largest fruit buyer.
Mexico is the third fresh strawberry supplier to the international market, with 14.83 percent of the value of world exports, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
In particular, Mexican exports represented 87.79 percent of imports from the United States.
With the strawberry, the product of greater volume and demand, there has been challenges in the production for the drought and the pests that kill the plant, said Miguel Ángel Curiel.
There is a great future for strawberry production in Mexico, despite pests and lack of water, he added.
In the raspberry it went through an overproduction to supply the market after COVID-19, but already stabilized and prices went down.
“Production against Bajo Returo stabilized, but we believe we are in a good time for the raspberry,” added the president of anneberries.
Zarzamora is a culture affected by disease and climate, but companies are attracting new genetic to overcome all changes of nature, he said.
The blueberry is a crop that competes globally and today in the United States market there is fruit from Mexico, Canada, Peru, Chile and Morocco and Colombia: “Everyone competes at the same time.”
The director of Aneberries recalled that blue blueberry or blue blackberry exports are projected so as not to exceed 63 thousand tons.
“It is the culture that has decreased most on the sowing surface in the valleys of Jalisco and the north of Sinaloa. I think that due to the new varieties and the best handling, we will reach 63 thousand tons, which was exported in 2024,” Juan José Flores García.
He foresaw that the raspberry will have a fall of between 3 and 4 percent in exports to the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia.
Mexico exports more than 120 thousand tons of raspberry every year, but “we will close 2025 with sales of 115 thousand tons from the fruit to the international market.”
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Zarzamora exports will have an increase of 8 percent, that is, they will go from 77 thousand tons sold in 2024 to between 80 thousand and 85 thousand tons.
The United States, Canada, Europe and Japan are the largest countries that consume strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.
“Japan is a country that we have cared for a lot, because we have grown between 50 percent and 100 percent. We sent between 700 tons to 800 tons and now we sent 1,600 tons of blueberries,” concluded Juan José Flores García.
