US corn sales to Mexico lag as domestic production recovers

The US Department of Agriculture reported on November 2 that private export sales of corn to Mexico for the September-August 2026-27 marketing year stood at 1.135 million metric tons. Market participants noted a delay in Mexican purchases compared to the previous season, with sales down by about 3.7 million metric tons so far this year.

However, this comparison is made against a record cycle that began strongly. Mexico's commitments for US corn totaled 9.023 million metric tons as of October 22, a 31% decrease from the same period a year earlier.

US corn shipments for January were assessed at $221.26/mt FOB Gulf and $215.24/mt FOB Brazil, according to Platts. Mexico's projected corn production for 2026 is 23.5 million metric tons, up 100,000 mt from the previous year, but still well below the projected consumption of 48.2 million metric tons. Domestic output is anticipated to be concentrated in northern Mexico, while buyers in southern and southeastern regions typically rely more on imports from the US and Brazil.

A hog-feed trader in southeastern Mexico mentioned that purchasing decisions are often influenced more by quality than price, with Brazilian corn generally exhibiting lower kernel breakage levels.