Mexico’s corn imports reach record volume and value in first half of 2026

Yellow corn drives record purchases

Mexico’s corn imports reached their highest first-half levels on record in both volume and commercial value between January and June 2026, La Jornada reported, citing figures from Mexico’s National Customs Agency compiled by agricultural consultancy GCMA.

Total purchases amounted to 12.28 million tonnes, up 8.6% from the same period of 2025. Their value increased 3.4% to $2.539 billion. The smaller rise in value than in volume came as international prices remained more moderate than a year earlier, according to GCMA.

Yellow corn generated nearly all the expansion. Mexico imported 11.70 million tonnes, entirely sourced from the United States, representing a year-on-year increase of 10.1%. The grain is used mainly for livestock feed and industrial processing, making the increase especially relevant to feed manufacturers, meat producers and US exporters serving the Mexican market.

White corn imports fall as domestic supply improves

White corn followed the opposite trend. Imports fell 15.9% by volume and 11.5% by value, reaching 490,000 tonnes. This variety is used to make dough and tortillas. La Jornada said the decline reflected more stable domestic availability after Mexico’s national harvest entered the market during the semester.

The divergence highlights the different supply conditions within Mexico’s corn market. Domestic production provided greater support for the food-grade white corn segment, while demand for feed and industrial inputs continued to pull in larger volumes of US yellow corn. Corn consequently remained the largest product within Mexico’s agricultural and food imports.

Grain and oilseed imports rise to 23.95 million tonnes

Mexico’s total imports of grains and oilseeds reached 23.95 million tonnes in the first half, 6.3% more than a year earlier. Their commercial value rose 4.4% to $7.581 billion. Higher purchases of corn, the soybean complex, canola, barley and malt offset declines in wheat, sorghum, beans, soybean oil and oats.

The soybean complex, comprising beans, meal and oil, increased 15.1% to 5.08 million tonnes. Soybean imports rose 9.8% in volume and 19.7% in value. Soybean meal, an important ingredient in compound feed, recorded increases of 34.1% and 34.8%, respectively. Soybean oil moved in the other direction, falling 35.5% by volume and 24.6% by value.

Combined purchases of palm, canola and sunflower oils declined 13% in volume and 12.7% in value. Imports of canola seed nevertheless rose to 980,000 tonnes, increasing 10.6% in volume and 21.8% in value on demand from the crushing industry.

Corn substitutes lose ground

Wheat imports fell 4.2% to 2.45 million tonnes, while their value declined 1%, reflecting a more balanced market and reduced need for foreign supply. Sorghum imports dropped 23% in volume and 25.9% in value as corn replaced part of its demand.

Beans posted the semester’s sharpest contraction, with import volume down 32.6% and value down 52% amid greater domestic availability. Oat purchases decreased 30.6% in volume and 29.8% in value. Together, the figures show that Mexico’s import growth was concentrated in feed grains and protein inputs rather than distributed evenly across agricultural commodities.