The Mexican Beekeeping Agri-food System: A descriptive analysis

Abstract

O production in Mexico. Design/Methodology/Approach: We used the Food Balance Sheet obtained from the FAOSTAT website and the statistics of livestock production in Mexico recovered from the website of the Servicio de Información Agrícola y Pesquera (SIAP). We chose ten variables: production, import, export, per capita consumption, number of hives, production volume, economic value, price paid to producers, yield, and revenue per unit. The analysis describes the variables in the last recorded year at a global and local level, as well as the changes and trends according to the available historical records. Results: In 2019, Mexico held the ninth place in honey production with 64,000 t and had the capacity to export around 50 % of said production. Between 2006 and 2016, the number of hives increased by 6 %, while production volume and yield decreased by 1.6 % and 7.5 %. In contrast, the economic value, the price paid to producers, and the revenue per unit increased by 14 %, 5.7 %, and 8.5 %. Study limitations/Implications: This type of study relies on records of statistical information systems, whose availability depends on the variable of interest. Findings/Conclusions:In Mexico, beekeeping is practiced throughout the country, making it self-sufficient in terms of domestic honey consumption while allowing its participation in the international market. Therefore, the country has optimization opportunities, especially in the central and northern areas, that have the lowest number of hives and production volume levels