{
  "id": 13181548,
  "title": "Mexico Natural Resources Explained 2026",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/mexico-natural-resources-explained-2026",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-09T10:33:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Rio Times",
    "slug": "the-rio-times",
    "url": "https://www.riotimesonline.com/mexico-natural-resources-explained-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mexico boasts a wealth of natural resources, including silver, oil, farmland, and forests, making it a significant resource power in close proximity to the United States. The state determines who extracts these resources, with silver being the largest output in the world, followed by copper and gold. Water is the most scarce of the resources.\n\nArticle 27 of Mexico's 1917 constitution grants land and water rights to the nation, which may then grant private use. Oil and gas reserves remain national property in all contracts. A 2024 amendment redefined state energy firms, such as Pemex, as \"state public companies.\" Pemex, the state oil company, can still sign contracts with private partners but their output is counted in its figures.\n\nMetal resources are managed through concessions issued by the Economy Ministry. Concessions last 30 years, with one possible 25-year extension. The law bars new concessions in protected areas and zones without available water. Lithium, however, is reserved for the state and not subject to the concession system.\n\nWater rights are allocated by Conagua, the National Water Commission. Communal landholdings called ejidos, created after the 1910-1920 revolution, are also protected by Article 27. President Claudia Sheinbaum, of the left-wing Morena party, has governed since October 1, 2024.\n\nMexico mined approximately 6,300 tonnes of silver in 2025, accounting for nearly a quarter of the estimated global output of 26,000 tonnes. Peru and China followed with 3,600 and 3,400 tonnes, respectively. Mexico also holds an estimated 37,000 tonnes of silver reserves.\n\nCopper production in 2025 was around 690,000 tonnes, making Mexico the seventh-largest gold producer. The largest private player is Grupo México, a mining and rail conglomerate controlled by the Larrea family. It owns 88.9% of Southern Copper, which trades in New York. Newmont, a Denver-based gold miner, operates the Peñasquito gold and silver mine in Zacatecas.\n\nMexican and Canadian companies run several smaller silver and gold mines, paying federal mining duties while landowners and ejidos negotiate land access. The Mexican Mining Chamber advocates for resuming the granting of concessions and addressing stalled mining projects.\n\nPemex produced 1.637 million barrels daily of oil and other liquids in August 2026, including private partners. Oil duties contribute to the federal budget. However, Pemex's oil output has fallen, while crude exports have decreased faster than production. In August 2026, Mexico exported 276,000 barrels daily, compared to an average of 806,000 barrels in 2024. Pemex also imported 291,800 barrels daily of gasoline, more than all the crude oil it exported that month.\n\nIn 2022, a reform declared lithium a matter of public utility and the nation's heritage, prohibiting any concessions, licenses, contracts, or permits for its exploration and processing. This led to the creation of LitioMx, a state body attached to the Energy Ministry. The Mexican Geological Survey aids LitioMx in locating probable lithium reserves, which are considered national mining reserves.\n\nMexico's proximity to the US car market is crucial, making it the largest market for US farm exports. In 2024, Mexico bought US$30.32 billion worth of US agricultural goods, with corn leading at US$5.62 billion, followed by pork (US$2.58 billion) and dairy (US$2.47 billion). Soybeans added US$2.3 billion, according to USDA figures. In March 2025, Mexico amended its constitution to protect native corn varieties, prohibiting genetic modification in cultivation and requiring separate biosafety and health laws for other uses. The choice of Mexico for US farm exports is central to the nearshoring boom and the USMCA review, a trade pact between the US, Mexico, and Canada.",
  "summary": "Mexico resources explained: the world's top silver output, Pemex oil, nationalised lithium, US farm trade, scarce water and the environmental cost. The post Mexico Natural Resources Explained 2026 appeared first on The Rio Times .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}