Mexico Displaces China as Top Market for U.S. Food and Ag Exports [Video]

U.S. food and ag sales to Mexico surged by 7% during the 2024 fiscal year, making the North American neighbor the No. 1 ag export customer, according to Census Bureau data tracked by the USDA. China, the leader since the end of the Sino-U.S. trade war, fell to third place, behind Canada, in export purchases.

Shipments to Mexico totaled $30 billion, an increase of $2 billion from 2023, with purchases that included a record 24.5 million metric tons of corn, 40% of all U.S. corn exports for the year. Canada bought $29 billion and China $25.7 billion of American-grown food and ag products.

Together, Mexico and Canada accounted for one-third of U.S. food and ag exports of $173 billion for the year. And they were forecast to repeat as the top two markets in fiscal 2025, with China again in third place. Brazil has gained a larger share of the …