Manitoba forage producers see an opportunity opening in Mexico, especially with that country’s dairy industry.
Forage producers who have gone on trade missions to Mexico have come back enthusiastic about the potential to market hay there, said Kevin Yaworski, Manitoba Agriculture forage agronomist.
Mexico is committed to increasing milk consumption among its youth, Yaworski said. Dairy farms with as many as 22,000 cows are helping reach that goal.
But because of limits on water available to irrigate hay land, Mexico’s dairy industry has to look abroad for part of its forage supply.
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The United States is already exporting into that market, but Yaworski said there appears to be ample room for Manitoba forages as well.
The demand is mainly for alfalfa in the long fibre form. However, Yaworski suggested grass hay from Manitoba could also fit that market.
One of the main tasks for Manitoba’s forage industry is getting the protocols in place to accommodate shipments of hay to Mexico. The Manitoba Forage Council is willing to work with Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to do the phytosanitary certification of forage lots destined for Mexico.
A sticking point in the discussions is whether Manitoba hay exported to Mexico should have to undergo fumigation, said Manitoba Forage Council president Ian Wishart, a producer from Portage la Prairie.
The forage council questions the need for fumigation, saying such a requirement would drive up the costs, making it hard to compete with U.S. hay.
Inspection required
The forage council also is concerned with the idea of requiring a visual inspection of the hay at the Mexican border before allowing it into that country.
Because hay from Manitoba often would be shipped in vans or containers, an inspection at the border would likely mean having to unload the shipments, adding to handling costs and damaging the hay.
Yaworksi and the forage council are confident that once Mexican customers have access to forages from Manitoba, they will want that feed. Yaworski said there are indications that demand for those forages could exceed the supply available from Manitoba.
Alberta forage producers appear less interested in targeting the Mexican market. Freight costs make it more practical for producers there to compete in other markets, such as Japan.
