Meeting Global Demand Through Boron
Mexico’s varied landscape and climate enable producers to grow more than 200 crops, positioning the country as a major player in Latin American food production and the eighth-largest agricultural crop producer in the world. Main crops include corn, tomatoes, bananas, chili peppers, oranges, lemons, limes, mangos, other tropical fruits, avocados, and coffee. Agricultural exports are critical to Mexico’s economy, and though most of the country’s exported food products go to the United States, new markets have opened up to producers, including Canada, Japan, and Europe.
Although the country’s agricultural output is high, crop production accounts for just 10% of Mexico’s total national territory. This is largely because a significant portion of the country’s soil is shallow, making it susceptible to erosion, extreme dryness, or waterlogging.
Across Mexico and Central America, agriculture is also highly vulnerable to weather extremes—especially in the drought-prone northern regions and in the south, where tropical storms can cause extensive damage to crops. This combination of increasingly volatile weather and poor soil conditions makes boron deficiency a constant threat. Boron availability decreases under drought conditions, which make it more difficult for boron to move from the soil to plant roots. During periods of heavy rainfall, boron is washed away, resulting in boron deficiency.