When the world has not yet come out of the economic and social consequences left by the pandemic, a war in Eastern Europe aggravates the situation that many industries and sectors are going through and where the countryside has not been the exception.
And it is that Russia and Ukraine together represent more than a third of world cereal exports and the first, by itself, is responsible for 15 percent of world trade in nitrogenous fertilizers and 17 percent of potassium fertilizers.
Before the beginning of the spring-summer 2022 sowing cycle, it is a key moment to join forces and undertake short, medium and long-term strategic actions to face this problem, which also worsens with climate change.
Recently, it was established in our country that it would not stop buying urea from Russia, but the sanctions for the war conflict have impacted its cost.
The Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Víctor Villalobos Arámbula, proposed a contingent program of consolidated purchases, which will lower costs and improve logistics, a measure for which support and coordination with state governments, Petróleos Mexicanos, organizations, companies and producers.
It is also important to provide specialized technical advice to producers to guide them in better alternatives or substitution of crops and fertilization, according to regions, climates and seasons.
In this sum of actions it is essential to count on the state governments, through the Mexican Association of Secretaries of Agriculture (AMSDA), organizations and educational institutions. A preponderant role will be played by the National Association of Fertilizer Marketers (Anacofer).
It is noteworthy that, in this scenario, Agriculture, federal institutions, international organizations and insurers are working on a pilot insurance scheme for small-scale producers of basic grains.
For the federal agency, food production and food security are currently a priority and responsibility, which sends a positive signal to producers and the country.
• Mexico, with the capacity to open new agri-food markets: Agriculture
Given the global situation, the Ministry of Agriculture has said that it will comply with its export commitments and, as happened in the pandemic, it will supply the domestic market and the countries with which there are trade agreements.
And it is that Mexico has the capacity to export more products such as fruits, since it has a privileged position to open spaces in new market niches, in a scenario of greater vulnerability and uncertainty.
Very good for this strategy, because instead of closing, Mexico should not neglect the important role it has earned in the international arena as an agricultural export power, a situation that benefits us with better income for our producers and foreign exchange.
LUIS P. CUANALO
• Specialists in the agricultural sector
• President of the College of Agroindustrial Engineers of Mexico, AC
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