Livestock exports break records in Sonora

SONORA - Cattle exports broke records during the month of June in Sonora, and the activity is expected to continue to rise until the end of the cattle cycle on August 31, according to estimates of the State Government.

With 354,480 head of cattle exported, Governor Alfonso Durazo Montaño highlighted that Sonora surpassed its highest mark reached during the 2019-2020 cycle, when 353,513 animals were exported.

Durazo added that last June 26, said level of cattle exports was registered, highlighting that 246,949 specimens were males and 107,531 females.

"Sonora is living a historic moment in its livestock activity, we have broken records, but there are still two months to go before the end of the 2023-2024 cycle on August 31, there will be an export record because there are still a couple of months to go before the end, so this record will increase," he said.

According to the governor, the increase in animal exports was mainly due to the best price for cattle sales, which is US$7,07 per kilogram of live cattle. The previous record of females exported was in the 2011-2012 cycle, with 109 animals.

According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), in the fifth month of this year, the value of agricultural and fishing exports in Mexico was US$2 billion, which implied an annual drop of 0.6%.

The most significant decreases were recorded in exports of fresh strawberries (57.8%), citrus fruits (25.1%), fish, crustaceans and mollusks (13.0%), edible fruits and nuts (12.7%) and fresh vegetables (4.5%). In contrast, the most significant annual growth was in exports of grapes and raisins (95.9 %) and cattle (54.2 %).