Mexican Import of White Corn, Used for Dough & Tortillas, Quadruples

ByBraulio Carbajal

This article by Braulio Carbajal originally appeared in the October 21, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Lower production and adverse weather conditions caused Mexico to nearly quadruple its imports of white corn, the grain used to make the dough and tortillas consumed by the population, by the end of the third quarter.

Data from Mexico’s National Customs Agency (ANAM) compiled by the Agricultural Markets Consulting Group (GCMA) show that between January and September, Mexico purchased 822,000 tons of white corn from other countries, an unprecedented figure and far higher than the 210,000 tons reported during the same period last year.

Historically, Mexico has been self-sufficient in the production of white corn, which is used in the masa and tortilla production chain; however, this year it has had to resort to grain sourced primarily from the United States and partly from South Africa to meet population demand.

In the first nine months of the year, total corn imports (white and yellow) increased 6.6 percent, from 18.2 million tons in the first nine months of 2024 to 19.4 million tons in the same period of 2025, a historic high for a similar period.

Virtually all of the yellow corn that Mexico buys (used as animal feed and by industry) comes from the United States and is genetically modified.

The GCMA forecasts that corn imports will close the year at a historic high of 24.7 million tons, a 4.7 percent increase compared to the 23.6 million tons in 2024. The value is projected to increase from $3.878 billion in 2024 to $4.99 billion in 2025, a 5.7 percent increase.

Overall, the volume of grain and oilseed imports grew 3.1 percent annually, reaching 36.4 million tons at the end of the third quarter.

Wheat imports remained virtually unchanged compared to 2024, although their value decreased by 7.2 percent, affected by the drop in international prices.

Sorghum saw a historic rebound, with 717,000 tons imported compared to just 25,000 tons in the same period in 2024, while soybean grain purchases fell 8.3 percent in volume and 17.7 percent in value.

Rice purchases fell 5.7 percent in volume and 25.3 percent in value, reflecting, according to the GCMA, lower domestic consumption, which reduced the need for foreign purchases. Meanwhile, beans experienced the sharpest decline of the period, with a 36.3 percent drop in volume and 49.4 percent in value, caused by depressed international prices.