Mexico is one of the world’s most productive agricultural countries, growing everything from massive volumes of staple grains to the avocados and berries that fill grocery stores across the United States. In 2024, agribusiness accounted for about 3.5 percent of Mexico’s GDP and over 12 percent of its employment. The country supplied 63 percent of U.S. vegetable imports and 47 percent of U.S. fruit and nut imports in 2023, making it the dominant source of fresh produce for American consumers.
Maize: Mexico’s Foundational Crop
Maize is the single most important crop in Mexico, both culturally and economically. The country produces about 27.4 million tons annually across roughly 7 million hectares of farmland, an area that has remained stable since 1980. About 86 percent of that is white corn, which goes primarily into tortillas, tamales, and other foods central to the Mexican diet. The remaining 14 percent is yellow corn, mostly used for animal feed.
Mexico is also the birthplace of maize. The crop was first domesticated from a wild grass called teosinte thousands of years ago in what is now southern Mexico, and it remains deeply woven into the country’s food culture and identity. Beans are the other half of this ancient pairing, grown widely alongside maize as a dietary staple providing protein across rural and urban households alike.
Avocados
Mexico is the world’s largest avocado producer and exporter. In 2024, the country exported an estimated 1.28 million metric tons, and that figure is forecast to climb to 1.34 million metric tons in 2025. Avocados ranked third among all Mexican agricultural exports in 2024, behind only beer and tequila and ahead of berries and tomatoes. The state of Michoacán is the epicenter of production, with its volcanic soil and mild climate creating ideal growing conditions.
Berries and Soft Fruits
Mexico has become a berry powerhouse over the past two decades, and the growth shows no signs of slowing. For 2025, production is forecast at 700,000 metric tons of strawberries, 250,000 metric tons of blackberries, 219,000 metric tons of raspberries, and 73,500 metric tons of blueberries. Altogether, the country is expected to export about 752,000 metric tons of berries in 2025, up five percent from the year before. A weaker peso relative to the U.S. dollar has made Mexican berries even more competitive on the export market.
Different states dominate different berries. Michoacán grows 90 percent of Mexico’s blackberries and 58 percent of its strawberries. Jalisco leads in raspberry production with a 64 percent share. Baja California contributes significantly across all four berry types, benefiting from a dry climate that reduces disease pressure and allows year-round harvesting in some areas.
Tomatoes and Chili Peppers
Tomatoes are one of Mexico’s top agricultural exports, with massive greenhouse and open-field operations concentrated in Sinaloa, Sonora, and Baja California. Mexico supplies the vast majority of fresh tomatoes consumed in the United States during winter months, when domestic U.S. production drops off.
Chili peppers are equally important, though more for domestic use and cultural significance. Mexico grows a staggering variety, including jalapeños, serranos, poblanos, chipotles (which are smoked jalapeños), guajillos, anchos, and dozens of regional varieties. Peppers are grown in nearly every state, with Chihuahua, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí among the largest producers. Many of these varieties originated in Mexico and are still central to its cuisine.
Citrus and Tropical Fruits
Mexico is the world’s leading producer of Persian limes, the seedless variety found in most supermarkets. Total citrus production was expected to increase about 4 percent in the 2024/25 season, driven primarily by higher lime yields. Orange production, by contrast, has been more volatile due to prolonged drought, high temperatures, and erratic rainfall in major growing regions. Fresh citrus exports to the U.S. are projected to remain stable for oranges and grow moderately for limes.
Mangoes are another major tropical crop, with Mexico ranking among the top global producers. The main harvest runs from March through September, with Guerrero, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Oaxaca, and Chiapas leading production. Other tropical fruits grown widely include papayas, guavas, and pineapples.
Agave, Coffee, and Cacao
Agave is the raw material for tequila and mezcal, and its economic importance has surged alongside global demand for these spirits. Tequila specifically comes from blue agave grown in designated regions, primarily Jalisco. Mezcal can be made from dozens of agave species and is produced across Oaxaca, Durango, Guerrero, and several other states. Beer and tequila together now rank as Mexico’s top two agricultural exports, ahead of avocados.
Coffee grows at higher elevations in southern states, with Veracruz and Chiapas leading production. Mexican coffee is predominantly arabica, grown on small family farms in mountainous terrain. The country produces both conventional and shade-grown organic varieties that command premium prices in specialty markets.
Cacao, the source of chocolate, has deep roots in Mexico. The states of Tabasco and Chiapas account for most current production, with smaller amounts grown in Colima, Michoacán, Nayarit, Oaxaca, and Veracruz. Mexico originally grew the prized criollo variety, known for its complex flavor, but the government introduced hardier disease-resistant varieties like forastero, trinitario, and amelonado in the early 1900s. Recent interest in fine chocolate has revived investment in native criollo cacao, though it remains a small fraction of overall output.
Grains and Industrial Crops
Beyond maize, Mexico grows significant quantities of sorghum, wheat, and sugarcane. Sorghum production was around 4.2 million metric tons in recent years, used primarily for livestock feed. Wheat is concentrated in the irrigated valleys of Sonora and Baja California in the northwest. Sugarcane thrives in the tropical lowlands of Veracruz, Jalisco, and San Luis Potosí, feeding a large domestic sugar industry.
Mexico also produces vegetables like zucchini, cucumbers, and bell peppers in enormous quantities, much of it in sophisticated greenhouse operations in Sinaloa and the Bajío region. These protected agriculture systems allow year-round production and have been a major driver of Mexico’s growing share of the U.S. fresh vegetable market over the past two decades.