Mexican State Dairy to Expand Operations

ByMexico Solidarity

This article by Daniel González Delgadillo appeared in the August 21, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Mexico City. Leche para el Bienestar, formerly Liconsa, seeks to increase the coverage of its social program from 2,196 municipalities to 2,478 by the end of the six-year term, its national manager of social supply, Víctor Hugo López Rojas, announced this Thursday. This goal will be achieved through the projects they are developing, including the completion of two processing plants.

During a tour of the Leche del Bienestar Metropolitan North Industrial Plant in Tlalnepantla, López Rojas explained that differentiated subsidized prices are offered to benefit all sectors of the population, primarily the poorest. In 482 municipalities with high marginalization, a liter of milk sells for 4 pesos.50 cents; in 333 municipalities with signs of marginalization, it sells for 6 pesos.50 cents; and in 1,381 municipalities, it sells for 7 pesos.50 cents, he explained.

In the country, he noted, there is currently a registry of 6.3 million beneficiaries of this product, providing coverage to 3.4 million families. The registry aims to close this year with 7 million users and 10 million by 2030, he emphasized.

To boost this growth, he noted that a pasteurization plant is currently being opened in Campeche, which will process 100,000 liters per day and should be ready by the end of this year, and work continues to complete the drying plant in Michoacán, which will process 250,000 liters per day and will be operational in September 2026. Both projects will have a total investment of 1.2 billion pesos, with no debt, according to reports from the Ministry of Agriculture.

In addition, Leche del Bienestar plans to create 32 more collection centers, with the goal of increasing the number of collection centers (dairies) from 54 to 86 nationwide, and increasing the number of service centers (dairies) from 12,000 to 20,000, he highlighted.

With a current national production of 13.5 billion liters per year, López Rojas also noted that there is currently a national registry of nearly 3,000 dairy farmers, who are paid a Guaranteed Price of 11 pesos.50 per liter. He stated that the goal is to increase the number of registered producers to 5,000 during this administration to increase production, with the goal of achieving 15 billion liters per year by the end of the six-year term.

He emphasized that the guaranteed price had been 7 pesos and 50 cents since 2018, but this amount has increased in order to “support the national productive sector,” especially small and medium-scale businesses.

He indicated that the state-owned company also has 180 agreements in various states across the country, which also provide support through preferential pricing. These agreements include nursing homes, daycare centers, group homes, annexes, and food banks.