The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will keep working in coordination with the productive sectors to eradicate animal diseases, maintain the health of production units and guarantee the timely supply of pork at national level, where the country is ranked as the 12th largest producer in the world, highlighted the head of the agency, Victor Villalobos Arambula.
Inaugurating the event "The pork industry, a pillar in Mexico's sustainable development," as part of International Pork Day, the federal official said that joint work, collaboration and public-private alliances will support pork production in the country, to the benefit of consumers and value chains.
He explained that the Ministry has been responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of public goods such as sanitation, research and technology transfer, and the opening of new markets internationally, and making them available to the various production chains, such as the pork industry.
These are investments by the Mexican government that translate into increased productivity and competitiveness for the benefit of rural territories and their inhabitants, he stressed.
Pig farming, a fundamental industry for the country
Villalobos Arámbula emphasized that pig farming remains a fundamental industry within the livestock activity and is key to the country's food security, with an annual production of more than 1,700,000 tons and a strong presence in the states of Jalisco, Sonora, Puebla and Yucatán.
Pig farming represents within the agricultural sector a good component of the social economy, since the raising and marketing of pigs generates jobs and development in the areas where it is carried out, several of them in vulnerable situations, he said.
The Minister of Agriculture said that a key element for the development of this sector is the unity and dialogue within the chains and their institutional action, which allows them to weave alliances and collaborations under win-win schemes, with significant impacts for producers and consumers.
He also celebrated the re-launching of the Mexican Institute of Pig Farming, whose mission is to serve one of the most important sectors of our country, with the objective of promoting scientific and technological research and bringing it closer to small and medium-scale producers, mainly..
The president of the Organization of Mexican Pig Farmers (Opormex,by its Spanish acronym), Heriberto Hernández Cárdenas, said that the national pork sector is synonymous with unity and responsibility, since small, medium and large producers have demonstrated their commitment to health, safety and agri-food sustainability.
He emphasized that the Mexican Institute of Pig Farming (IMP, by its Spanish acronym) has positioned itself as a reference body for validating and transferring technological innovations to pig farmers, particularly small-scale producers, which provides guarantees to Mexican and international consumers.
On sanitary matters, the Opormex leader underscored the organization's collaboration with the preventive measures operated by the National Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality Service (Senasica) to reduce the risk of introducing African swine fever (ASF) into Mexico, through canine binomials at ports, airports and borders.
He considered that in the face of the challenges imposed by the global environment, these public-private alliances are relevant and we must be more united, in order to meet the challenges of the sector together, with collaboration agreements to be more productive, with the care of health and the environment and the development of a circular economy.
Scientific linkage
The president of the Mexican Institute of Pig Farming (IMP), María Elena Trujillo Ortega, commented that since 2021, the organization has strengthened scientific links with producers, to contribute to the mission of guaranteeing food security in the country.
She assured that the re-launching of the lMP will allow to promote training for small-scale producers and provide optimal communication to consumers about the benefits of consuming pork.
The president of the National Agricultural Council (CNA, by its Spanish acronym), Juan Cortina Gallardo, said that the livestock sector and particularly the pork industry have been successful, thanks to the vision of producers, innovation and continuous improvement, as well as the health and safety of production, which have placed the country as the 12th largest pork producer in the world.
However, he said, there is an enormous opportunity for the industry to continue growing, since per capita consumption of pork is 20 kilograms per year, but in Asia it exceeds 40 kilograms and in the United States it is 30 kilograms, so it is necessary to disseminate among the population its nutritional benefits and the different ways of consuming it.
He indicated that, in addition, domestic production does not meet the current demand and 40 percent is imported, hence the opportunity to work as a team in the current international environment, so that this industry can grow and remain a source of pride for Mexico.
Agriculture and the pork industry will strengthen the sector
As part of the celebration activities, the National Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality Service signed a Work Plan with the Organization of Mexican Pig Farmers, through which actions will be strengthened in the area of inspection and verification of goods at ports, airports and borders, at verification and federal inspection points regulated by Agriculture in foreign trade matters.
In addition, the National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research (INIFAP, by its Spanish acronym) signed a cooperation agreement with Opormex and the Mexican Institute of Pig Farming to establish joint collaboration activities to expand infrastructure in the areas of applied research, technology transfer and training in pig farming.