Agricultural Value Chains in the Mexicali Valley of Mexico: Main ...

Asparagus Producers and Buyers
Agricultural Value Chains in the Mexicali Valley of Mexico
As of 2008, asparagus production accounted for almost 16% of total Mexicali vegetable growing in terms of
land use. None of the asparagus producers interviewed had suffered direct damage as a result of the Easter
Earthquake, but there were complaints of rising land lease prices due to those in the earthquake damage
zone looking for usable land to work.
Table 10 lists the major producers of asparagus grown in the Mexicali Valley. The six largest producers
(Rancho El Golfo, New Star, Muranaka, Boskovich, Horticola San Pedro, and Ocean Mist) account for well
more than half of the area’s production. These major producers differ in terms of their business models: for
instance, San Pedro sells to multiple buyers, El Golfo sells exclusively to Coastline Produce, and New Star and
Muranaka act both as producers and as buyers. CGGC researchers were able to determine approximate
rankings of the major buyers.
Figure 5 illustrates the Mexicali Valley asparagus value chain. Major seed providers are Sakata and Kiethly-
Williams. Fertilizer and pesticides used in asparagus production are NH3 and Agrinor, respectively.
Asparagus grown in the Mexicali Valley is primarily destined to the U.S., specifically California, while
Canada is a much smaller destination market. Almost no local consumption of asparagus occurs.
TABLE 10: ASPARAGUS PRODUCERS IN THE MEXICALI VALLEY
Rank Producers Product Volume (metric tons)
1 Horticola San Pedro 1,050 MT
2 Rancho el Golfo 480 MT
3 Ocean Mist 270 MT
Source: CGGC
FIGURE 5: ASPARAGUS VALUE CHAIN
Page 16