Saturday, August 16, 2025

Mexico and Brazil eye expanded trade deal ahead of August meeting

By
MND Staff
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Sheinbaum and Lula
Sheinbaum and Lula have met in person on several occasions since the former took office last October. Here they are in Honduras during the CELAC Summit in April. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

Amid uncertainty in their trade relationships with the United States, Mexico and Brazil are seeking to enhance their commercial ties with each other.

President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke to her Brazilian counterpart, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula), on Wednesday ahead of a visit to Mexico by a Brazilian government and business delegation next month.

“We followed up on the agreement to welcome in Mexico authorities and business people from Brazil, with the aim of deepening our collaboration on various issues,” Sheinbaum wrote on social media.

In his own social media message, Lula said that he emphasized to Sheinbaum “the importance of deepening economic and trade relations between our countries, especially in light of the current uncertainty.”

United States President Donald Trump recently informed the Mexican and Brazilian leaders of his intention to impose 30% tariffs on imports from Mexico and 50% tariffs on imports from Brazil starting Aug. 1.

Both Mexico and Brazil are aiming to reach agreements to stop those tariffs from taking effect, but there is no certainty they will achieve their goals.

In his social media post, Lula noted that he and Sheinbaum agreed that a delegation led by Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin would visit Mexico on Aug. 27 and 28.

He also said that he and Sheinbaum “discussed the expansion of the Brazil-Mexico trade agreement, highlighting the potential of the pharmaceutical, agricultural, ethanol, biodiesel, aerospace, innovation and education sectors as strategic areas in our bilateral relationship.”

Negotiations aimed at the expansion of the 23-year-old bilateral trade pact are expected to commence during next month’s meetings in Mexico.

Sheinbaum and Lula have met in person on several occasions since the former took office last October. The Mexican president attended the G20 Leaders’ Summit hosted by Lula in Rio de Janeiro last November, and held a bilateral meeting with the Brazilian leader on the sidelines of the CELAC Summit in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in April. Sheinbaum also spoke to Lula at the G7 Summit in Canada last month.

After the Tegucigalpa meeting, Lula said that he and Sheinbaum “decided to further strengthen relations between our two countries by promoting periodic meetings between our governments and the productive sectors of industry in Brazil and Mexico.”

Sheinbaum called for “greater regional economic integration” in an address to the CELAC Summit, and has advocated a broadening of the USMCA pact to include more Western Hemisphere countries.

Her conversation with Lula on Thursday came just after Brazil adopted a new protocol that allows Mexico to export avocados to Latin America’s most populous country and largest economy.

The trade relationship between Mexico and Brazil 

According to Mexico’s Economy Ministry, two-way trade between Mexico and Brazil amounted to US $14.53 billion in 2024.

Mexico’s exports to Brazil were worth $4.23 billion, while imports from Brazil were worth $10.3 billion.

Mexico’s top export to Brazil was motor vehicle parts and accessories, accounting for 19.1% of all revenue earned from products shipped to the South American country.

Auto sector exports (parts, cars and trucks) accounted for just over 43% of Mexico’s total revenue from products sent to Brazil last year.

Mexico’s largest import from Brazil in 2024 was intermediate products of iron or non-alloy steel, accounting for 20.5% of the total outlay on Brazilian products.

Mexico’s second largest export from Brazil was cars followed by meat.

Brazil to import avocados from Mexico, unlocking a market of over 200 million

A Mexico-Brazil trade pact signed in 2002 “sets the exemption or the reduction of import fees for some 800 types of products,” Reuters reported last September when Mexican and Brazilian authorities began advocating for an updated and expanded agreement.

Marcelo Ebrard, economy minister since the beginning of the Sheinbaum administration, said at the time that “the growth of our relationship has already topped that agreement.”

“We need to update it,” he added.

Brazil ranked as the 10th largest economy in the world in 2024, while Mexico ranked 13th, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The two countries are the No. 1 and No. 2 economies in Latin America. Brazil’s nominal GDP in 2024 was US $2.17 trillion last year, according to the IMF, while Mexico’s GDP was $1.85 trillion.

With reports from El Universal and AFP

Mexican peso reaches strongest position since August 2024

By
MND Staff
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peso dollar
On Wednesday, the peso got a boost from increased market optimism following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he had reached a trade deal with Japan. (Margarito Perez Retana/Cuartoscuro)

The Mexican peso appreciated against the US dollar for a fourth consecutive trading day on Wednesday to close at its strongest position in 2025.

The peso closed at 18.53 to the greenback on Wednesday, according to the Bank of Mexico (Banxico), an appreciation of around 0.6% compared to its closing position on Tuesday.

The last time the peso was stronger was in August 2024.

By the close of trading on Wednesday, the peso had appreciated around 1.2% compared to its closing position last Thursday.

In 2025, the currency has gained more than 11% against the greenback. On the first trading day of the year, Jan. 2, the peso closed at 20.62 to the dollar, according to Banxico.

On Thursday morning, the peso weakened slightly to trade at 18.56 to the dollar at 9 a.m. Mexico City time, according to Yahoo! Finance.

On Wednesday, the peso got a boost from increased market optimism following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he had reached a trade deal with Japan.

Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Mexican bank Banco Base, said that the peso could appreciate further if Banxico pauses its rate-cutting cycle and signals a more restrictive monetary policy stance moving forward.

The central bank’s key interest rate is currently set at 8.0% after a 50-basis-point cut in late June, the fourth consecutive cut of that magnitude in 2025. Banxico’s governing board will hold its next monetary policy meeting on Aug. 7.

The peso generally benefits from a higher interest rate in Mexico relative to the United States Federal Reserve’s federal funds rate, which is currently set at a 4.25%-4.50% range.

Another factor that could affect the MXN-USD exchange rate in the near term is the outcome of ongoing trade negotiations between Mexico and the United States.

In a July 11 letter, Trump informed President Claudia Sheinbaum that on Aug. 1, he would impose a 30% tariff on “Mexican products sent into the United States, separate from all Sectoral Tariffs,” which currently apply to steel, aluminum and vehicles.

A deal between Mexico and the U.S. that stops the proposed 30% tariff from taking effect could give the peso an additional boost, and perhaps propel the currency to a new 2025 high.

With reports from El Economista 

Is Colonia Juárez the New Off Broadway?

By
James Monack and Marina Villasenor
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Move over New York, there's plenty of pizzaz around these parts, too. (Jimmy Monack)

“Little Shop of Horrors,” “Rent,” “Avenue Q” and “Hamilton”: All had their beginnings off-Broadway.  More importantly, off-Broadway — and don’t forget Off Off Broadway — is the playground in the United States for experimental theater and where, frankly, the cool people go to the theater.

Here in Mexico City, one can see “Lion King” and “Spamalot” and other hits from London and New York.  But here, the cool people go to the theater in Colonia Juárez.

David Olguín, Artistic Director and main Theater el Milagro and Gabriel Pascal , Artistic Director and scenographer, set designer, and lighting designer. (James Monack)

Conventional wisdom says that the hipster crown will soon be passed from Roma to La Juárez and the signs are clear that it will be even hipster-ier. Jackhammers, circuit saws and cement trucks are the soundtrack of this neighborhood as restaurants, speakeasies, photo studios and dance schools pop up on a weekly basis.  But the enduring force embedded in La Juárez is its rich history of independent theaters.

One of the best examples of this vibrant new atmosphere is located in the charming Bazar Fusión on Calle Londres which houses boutique clothiers, fine food and even a cigar shop.  Most importantly, Foro 37 brings comedy, magic and intimate productions to round out a perfect evening

Isabel Arce, General Director, who opened Foro 37 nine years ago, says “When we first opened the theater it was a very unknown neighborhood. It was like the backyard of Roma.” Yet, like many artistic hubs, La Juárez was simply cheaper and thus attracted artists of all kinds looking for inexpensive spaces to create. 

And as Roma becomes more known for restaurants, Juárez is becoming much more of a cultural core.  While fine dining is certainly available in Juárez, Foro 37 can add to an evening with a real feeling of connecting with an intimate performance.  It is, perhaps, what many people who enjoy the grand blockbusters like “Chicago” miss out on.  With the Foro 37’s seat capacity at 49, Arce’s vision of personal experience has been a great success, and she hopes for more.

From musicals to comedy and even a play inspired and written from the perspective of prison inmates, Isabel Arce will always be on the lookout for material that inspires.

On the other side of Avenida Insurgentes, closer to Zona Rosa, is the Teatro Varsovia, where directors Rodrigo González and Raúl Tamez bring a variety of acts to La Juárez.  Interestingly, the theater was built as part of a housing complex by the famed functionalist architect Mario Pani.  The idea was that a theater is just as important as plumbing or a working elevator.  Yet as time passed, so did architectural trends, and the building went on to be used for other purposes.  What this meant for González and Tamez was that they didn’t need to do much building or hunting for used theater seats; they only needed to put on excellent productions.

Raul Tamez, Artistic Director of Varsova and Theater and Rodrigo González, Artistic Director. (James Monack)

“This neighborhood has always been bohemian,” says Tamez, explaining the intellectual climate that became the center of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in Mexico.  “Also because of that, there were lots of cabaret and trans shows.” 

Teatro Varsovia, with its mixed audience of young and old, gay and straight, Chilango and gringo, produces a wide variety of shows beyond just plays.  They have all kinds of music from Baroque to rock and roll to comedy shows and musicals.  But when a play is staged here, Tamez explains, “It has to be raw and emotional.”  Productions at the Varsovia follow in the tradition of playwrights like David Mamet and Wendy Wasserstein, who utilize small settings with emotionally charged characters. 

For a great outing in La Juárez where one will be pleasantly surprised, Teatro Varsovia provides and opportunity for something new… or classic…or edgy…or heartwarming.  All are available.

Finally, there is the Teatro Milagro, perhaps the pluckiest of the theaters listed here.  Unlike Varsovia, getting this venue running had to retrofit an otherwise forgotten building the way many independent spaces need to.  But that is a tradition that goes back to the 1960s according to playwright David Olguín, who sits on the theater’s steering committee.   

“It was a slow process,” Olguín says, referring to the rebuilding after the devastating 1985 earthquake.  And inside the theater, one can see the reinforcements that have been installed to be within safety codes.  In a way, it helps support the idea that creative people will make use of any space with potential. 

For the last 17 years, Milagro has mounted productions as varied as “Waiting for Godot” or Lysistrata to modern dramas like Aldo Martínez Sandoval’s “La caducidad de la lavanda,” which is set in a morgue.  New plays often premier at the Milagro.  

There are many things that indicate that Colonia Juárez will be outshining Roma as the most fashionable and culturally cutting-edge part of the city, and a strong independent theater scene is vital for that success.  

 Watch out, Roma:  Juárez is biting at your heels.

Jimmy Monack is a teacher, photographer and award-winning writer.  He profiles interesting people all around the world as well as writing about and photographing rock concerts. He lives in Mexico City.  www.jimmymonack.com

Cabo San Lucas on record pace for cruise arrivals in 2025

By
Chris Sands
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A cruise ship in the bay at Cabo San Lucas
Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas is making its first visits to Cabo San Lucas in 2025. (Royal Caribbean)

What a difference a few months make. Earlier in the year, Cabo San Lucas business owners were panicked over the US $42 cruise tax passed by the national Senate and its potential tourism impacts, given the lingering threat of cruise lines removing Mexican Riviera destinations from their itineraries. 

However, now that the tax has been negotiated down to a manageable US $5 per person, at least for the short term, the substantial number of people in the Land’s End city who rely on the cruise industry —can instead focus on the other big cruise news, which is that the destination is on pace for a record-setting year, thanks in part to an unprecedentedly robust summer schedule.

Why the cruise tax was reduced

A cruise ship in Los Cabos
Princess Cruises invented the term Mexican Riviera, and remains a frequent visitor to Land’s End. (Princess Cruises)

Cruise ship companies were furious when the US $42 cruise tax was passed, noting that it would make visits to Mexico’s ports 213% more expensive than those in the Caribbean, and thus no longer feasible from a business perspective. Businesspeople in port destinations in Mexico like Cabo San Lucas weren’t happy either, since the estimated one billion dollars annually generated by cruise ship visits helps to sustain local economies. 

Given this pushback, negotiations between government officials in Mexico and the cruise ship industry began months before the tax was due to take effect on July 1, and a compromise solution was hammered out. The cruise tax would be reduced to US $5 for every person who takes a cruise with port calls in Mexico, regardless of whether they get off the ship or not. 

Of course, the US $5 figure will only apply during 2025 and the first half of 2026. The tax will increase incrementally over the next three years, rising to $10 in August 2026, $15 in June 2027 and finally $21 in August 2028. What’s more, cruise lines will be responsible for collecting the tax — another bone of contention that appears to have been amicably worked out… at least for now. 

Record-setting projections for Cabo San Lucas

Cruise ships have been visiting Mexican Riviera destinations since the 1960s, when Princess Cruises pioneered the idea. But there’s no question that cruise ship passengers to Cabo San Lucas are on an upward trajectory and have risen to record heights in recent years. 

In 2022, for instance, Cabo San Lucas received 227 cruise ships with 540,773 passengers. Ports of call were in the same range the next two years. Passenger numbers, however, shot through the roof thanks to more consistent visits from bigger ships with expanded carrying capacities. A record 735,686 cruise ship passengers visited Cabo in 2023, and although that number slightly dipped in 2024, to 724,331, more than 800,000 are expected by the end of 2025. 

How is cruise ship capacity influencing these numbers? In 2022, each ship brought an average of 2,382 passengers. In 2023, that average jumped to 3,117 passengers per ship, and in 2024 it increased to 3,516. That number likely won’t rise again in 2025: through the first five months of this year, there have been 118 port of call visits bringing 410,648 passengers. That’s an average of ‘only’ 3,480 people per ship. 

However, overall passenger numbers are pacing for another all-time high. Through May, cruise ship visitors were up an astonishing 34% over the same period in 2024. Summer ports of call are also more robust than usual. As a local source intimate with the cruise industry commented, “Usually there are about five ships per month in the summer. This year, it’s closer to 20.”

That makes it difficult to come up with an accurate projection for what numbers will look like by the end of 2025. If we take the arrivals through May and project them for the entire year, the total would be about 985,000. But that’s likely an unrealistic figure, since January through May are high season months, while June to September represent the destination’s traditional slow season, bringing fewer visitors. 

But given that summer arrivals are headed for uncharted territory, too, anticipating upwards of 800,000 passengers in 2025 seems a safe bet. 

Exciting new ships and arrivals

An overview of the Carnival of the Seas cruise ship showing the viewing deck and pool.
Carnival’s Ovation of the Seas is Cabo’s most hotly awaited arrival in 2025. (Forever Karen)

So the cruise ship industry is booming in Cabo San Lucas, with eight cruise companies — Carnival, Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Princess, and Royal Caribbean — and at least 24 individual ships scheduled to visit at some point this year. Those ships combined represent a capacity of over 70,000 passengers, and  several of them will be making more than a dozen visits. Carnival’s Panorama, for example, has already been a frequent visitor to Cabo San Lucas this year, with more port calls upcoming.  

The Carnival Panorama, of course, is a major presence on the West Coast and has been since it launched in 2019. It was Carnival’s first new ship to be permanently homeported in Long Beach, California,  in more than two decades, and since it carries up to 4,008 passengers, it’s a welcome arrival at any cruise port in Mexico. 

However, perhaps the most eagerly anticipated visitor this year is Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas, which since May 28 , has been homeported in Los Angeles for the first time in its history, meaning it’s also making its first trips to Cabo San Lucas. Unusually, overnight stays in Cabo are often included  in its three to six-night cruises. 

It’s not a permanent assignment for the company’s biggest ever LA-based ship — 168,666 gross registered tons, with over 2,000 staterooms accommodating up to 4,180 passengers at double occupancy — as Ovation of the Seas will be redeployed in September, with Quantum of the Seas replacing it. But it does reflect Royal Caribbean’s increased focus on the West Coast. Voyager of the Seas will join Quantum in Los Angeles in October, and that same month, Serenade of the Seas is set to begin Mexican Riviera cruises out of San Diego, with stops in Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas and La Paz. 

Cunard, meanwhile, is a far less frequent visitor to Cabo San Lucas, but one of its four ships, Queen Elizabeth, will make a port call on Oct, 3, during its 18-day voyage from San Francisco to Miami. It’s a rare treat in what is turning out to be an extraordinary year for cruises in Mexico. 

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

Neither Nissan nor any other automaker is leaving Mexico, says Sheinbaum: Wednesday’s mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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Sheinbaum July 23 2025
The president also gave her opinion of recent comments by soccer star Javier "Chicharito" Hernández that have been widely criticized and described as sexist and misogynistic. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

Automotive production in Mexico and controversial comments made by a famous Mexican soccer player were among the issues President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Wednesday morning press conference.

She also responded to a claim by a senior Trump administration official that “it’s only a matter of time” before Mexican criminal organizations carry out drone attacks against U.S citizens and law enforcement authorities.

Here is a recap of the president’s July 23 mañanera.

Sheinbaum: No automaker has plans to leave Mexico 

Two days after the website Automotive News reported that Nissan “plans to shrink its industrial footprint in Mexico by ending production at two assembly plants,” Sheinbaum said that no automaker “has told us that they’re going to move out of our country — none.”

She said that moving an auto production plant “is not so easy” as it costs billions of dollars and “requires a lot of time.”

Sheinbaum highlighted that vehicles made in Mexico and Canada with at least some U.S. content get a “discount” on the 25% auto tariffs the United States implemented earlier this year. Vehicles made in Mexico for export to the United States have, on average, 40% U.S. — and thus duty-free — content, lowering the effective tariff rate to 15%.

Sheinbaum acknowledged that automakers with lower U.S. content in their vehicles that export to the United States in accordance with “most favored nation” rules, rather than under the USMCA, face a higher tariff.

However, those “mainly European” automakers haven’t said they’re leaving the country either, she said.

Nissan Mexico
Nissan has three plants in Mexico — two in the state of Aguascalientes and one in Morelos — from which it exports about 320,000 vehicles to the U.S. each year. (Nissan)

“We’re in personal contact with all the companies … and none has suggested moving [out of Mexico]. Nissan even … moved part of production of one of its models from Argentina to Mexico and there will be greater production in our country,” Sheinbaum said.

Her remarks came after Automotive News published an article on Monday under the headline “Nissan shutting Mexico plant that was company’s first outside Japan by early 2027.”

“According to two people with knowledge of the matter, Nissan is expected to shut down its nearly 60-year-old Civac plant in south-central Mexico no later than March 2027, the end of the Japanese carmaker’s business year,” the website said.

“Additionally, Nissan is expected to dissolve its COMPAS joint venture with Mercedes after crossover production at the 2.37-million-square-foot factory in Aguascalientes, Mexico, concludes early next year,” Automotive News said.

As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nissan hadn’t commented publicly on the claims in the Automotive News report.

Rodrigo Centeno, president and general director of Nissan Mexicana, said in April that Nissan was sticking to its current production and investment plans for Mexico despite the United States’ imposition of tariffs on imported vehicles.

“There is no modification to short-term plans because to a large extent those decisions aren’t short-term ones,” he said at the time.

“… We don’t have any change on the table at this time. We have the pedal to the metal,” Centeno said.

His assertion served as reassurance for the Mexican auto sector as Nissan’s CEO Makoto Uchida said in February that the automaker could leave Mexico if 25% tariffs proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump were to take effect.

Nissan has three plants in Mexico — two in the state of Aguascalientes and one in Morelos — from which it exports about 320,000 vehicles to the U.S. each year. The company sold more cars in Mexico last year than any other automaker.

Chicharito ‘has a lot to learn’ about women, says Sheinbaum 

A reporter asked the president about recent remarks made by soccer star Javier “Chicharito” Hernández that have been widely criticized and described as sexist and misogynistic.

Hernández, a former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Mexican national team footballer who now plays for the Chivas de Guadalajara, made the remarks in a series of videos posted to social media.

In one, he says: “Women, you are failing. You are eradicating masculinity, making society hyper-sensitive. You embody feminine energy: caring, nourishing, receiving, multiplying, cleaning, maintaining the home that is the most precious place for us men. Don’t be afraid to be women, to allow yourselves to be led by a man who only wants to see you happy.”

Sheinbaum said that Chicharito is a “very good soccer player,” but with regard to his opinions about women, she declared: “I think he still has a lot to learn because women can be whatever we want to be.”

A relationship between a woman and a man is “a relationship of equality,” the president said, pointing out that the concept of “substantive equality” is now in the Mexican Constitution.

“It’s equality, but each [gender] with its own characteristics,” Sheinbaum said.

“… In terms of access to all rights, there is equality,” she said.

Sheinbaum said that the idea that a woman’s place is in the home is a “very sexist” idea.

“It’s not about arguing with ‘el Chicharito’ because he’s a great soccer player and has represented Mexico at different times. But it is important that all men in our country recognize women as people,” she said.

“… Women can be whatever we want to be. This is a learning not just for women … but also for men, for society as a whole,” Sheinbaum said.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])

Brazil to import avocados from Mexico, unlocking a market of over 200 million

By
MND Staff
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3
two avocados on a tree
People in Brazil love avocados as much as they do in the United States, prompting the South American nation's government to issue a new protocol allowing imports of avocados from Mexico. (René Cadenas/Unsplash)

With a range of U.S.-imposed tariffs complicating northbound trade, Mexico is turning its attention southward as it welcomes Brazil as a new market for avocados, one of its strongest exports.

Brazil has adopted a new protocol that allows for the import of Mexican avocados, Mexico’s Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegué Sacristán announced on Tuesday. 

avocados at a market stand
The avocado breakthrough comes at a time when Mexican and Brazilian officials have been working on building a stronger trade relationship. (Mauricio Villarreal/Unsplash)

“Good news! The Brazilian Agriculture Ministry has informed me that it has published a protocol allowing for the importation of Mexican avocados, the best in the world, to [our] sister nation, to the delight of its 200 million consumers,” Berdegué wrote on the X social media site. 

Mexico is the largest global producer of avocados, contributing around 34% of the global volume, according to figures from Mexico’s National Committee of the Avocado Product System. The west-central Mexican state of Michoacán contributes around 84.9% of the country’s avocado production by volume, according to Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry. 

Other avocado-producing states include Jalisco, México state, Nayarit, Morelos and Guerrero.

The new Brazil market, though significant, isn’t likely to put much of a dent in the United States’ lead in imports of Mexican avocados. The U.S. receives 80% of Mexico’s avocado exports by volume, followed by Canada with 7% and Japan with 3%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Brazil itself also grows avocados. Production of the fruit there has risen by 74.09% over the past five years, increasing from 242,723 tonnes in 2019 to 422,545 tonnes in 2023. The state of São Paulo contributes roughly 50% of the national total.

However, rising domestic demand has outpaced local production in recent years, which has led the South American country to import more avocados. 

The implementation of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Plan México has supported initiatives that broaden Mexico’s trade links, including with South America. 

Two-way trade between Mexico and Brazil was worth more than US $16 billion in 2023, according to the Economy Ministry. Brazil sold more than $12 billion worth of goods to Mexico, while Mexico’s exports to South America’s largest country totaled just over $4 billion.

Brazilian and Mexican authorities are in talks to revise the current trade agreement between the two countries, which was signed in the early 2000s. 

With reports from Sin Embargo and El Universal

Pfizer mobilizes its Mexico facility to combat regional vaccination decline

By
MND Staff
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Pfizer vaccine
Pfizer labels, stores and distributes products to 10 Latin American countries and regions from its Toluca plant. (Shutterstock)

Global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer plans to use its facility in Toluca, México state, to revive vaccine awareness in Mexico and become a key vaccine supplier in the Latin American region, according to the manufacturing site leader of the Pfizer Toluca Manufacturing Plant, Diana Cruz Salazar.

Pfizer cited Mexico’s decline in its vaccination coverage in recent years as motivation for its awareness campaign, which includes the promotion of its soon-to-be-introduced 20-valent pneumococcal vaccine — a formula protecting against seven more pneumococcal infections than the previous 13-valent version.

¿Cómo es un centro de manufactura de medicinas por dentro?

“We are very interested in promoting vaccination, not only in Mexico but worldwide,” Cruz Salazar said in an interview with the newspaper El Economista. “Interest in getting vaccinated has decreased, and we are very interested in reaching every person … and prevent[ing] diseases that constantly threaten us.”

The decline in vaccinations can be traced to a global shortage of vaccines, but misinformation also plays a large part.

Vaccination of young children in Mexico has dipped to around 78 or 80%, compared to 95% a few years ago, Dr. César Martínez Longoria, a specialist in pediatrics and pediatric infectious disease, said during a recent Pfizer panel entitled “From Birth to Aging: Vaccines for Life.”

Martínez blamed that decline partially on parents not understanding the importance of vaccinating their children, including for illnesses that no longer exist in Mexico, such as diphtheria and polio.

“They ask why they should vaccinate their child against something that isn’t in Mexico,” Dr. Martínez said. “It doesn’t exist here because we’ve continued to vaccinate against it.”

Life expectancy in Mexico increased from 51 years in 1960 to 73 in 2023, which Dr. Martínez stressed is largely owing to the wide coverage of vaccines.

A young girl receives a vaccine from a nurse
Due to misinformation, vaccination of young children in Mexico has dipped to around 78 or 80%, compared to 95% a few years ago. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

Pfizer’s pneumococcus vaccine will be manufactured in Ireland before being shipped to its Toluca plant to be labelled and packaged for distribution. 

Pfizer labels, stores and distributes products to 10 Latin American countries and regions: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Central America, from its Toluca facility. 

The New York-based pharmaceutical company invests between US $12 million and $15 million in its Toluca plant each year, where it employs 420 people and has an annual manufacturing capacity of 194 million units. 

In January, Pfizer Mexico announced plans to increase its investment in Mexico, particularly in clinical research. Pfizer’s Medical Affairs Director Yéssika Moreno said that President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration’s plans to improve the regulatory environment for clinical research in the country make it more attractive for Pfizer to invest. 

With reports from El Economista

US official claims cartels are conducting thousands of drone ops at Mexico border

By
MND Staff
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drone Chiapas
According to a Department of Homeland Security official, over 27,000 drones were detected within 500 meters of the U.S. southern border with Mexico in the last six months of 2024. (ramirezlalo_/Instagram)

A senior Trump administration official said Tuesday that “it’s only a matter of time” before Mexican criminal organizations carry out drone attacks against U.S. citizens and law enforcement authorities.

Steven Willoughby, acting director of the Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Management Office in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), made the assertion during an appearance before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

“Nearly every day, transnational criminal organizations use drones to convey illicit narcotics and contraband across U.S. borders and to conduct hostile surveillance of law enforcement,” he said.

“In the last six months of 2024, over 27,000 drones were detected within 500 meters of the U.S. southern border, operating nearly 60,000 unique flights, the majority of which were conducted at night or at restricted altitudes,” Willoughby said.

After highlighting that drones have increasingly been used around the world “to conduct kinetic attacks” and noting that “warring” cartels have used the unmanned aircraft to attack each other, the DHS official declared that “it’s only a matter of time before Americans or law enforcement are targeted in the border region [with Mexico].”

“In Ukraine and Russia, the extensive use of drones in the ongoing war has further demonstrated their lethality and versatility. … As my colleagues here can attest to, the threat of weaponized UAS [unmanned aircraft system] attacks is also a concern right here in the United States,” Willoughby said.

In written testimony submitted to the U.S. Senate Committee on the judiciary, the official said that:

  • Since 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and officers have seized thousands of pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl and other hard narcotics that drug traffickers have attempted to transport through thousands of cross-border drone flights.
  • Since early August 2024, warring Sinaloa Cartel factions have increasingly attacked one another using drone-delivered improvised explosive devices.
  • DHS’s authority to detect and counter drone threats will expire on September 30, 2025 — and we need urgent Congressional action to ensure the continued protection of our nation.

For his part, the head of the FBI’s anti-drones program told the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary that the United States is “doing things with the Mexican government [and] the Mexican armed forces” to combat the threat of drones in the border area.

“We’re sending people down there to train them on drone exploitation and the principles … of effective counter-UAS,” Michael Torphy said.

Drone exploitation is the use of drones for malicious and criminal purposes.

Torphy said that the United States is “delivering best practices” to Mexico “to keep them safer” and to “fight the war” against criminal organizations.

“But then we’re bringing back the things that they’re learning in their country because inevitably that will come into our country and we’ll be better prepared,” he said.

It was revealed earlier this year that the United States Central Intelligence Agency has flown drones over Mexico to spy on drug cartels and hunt for fentanyl labs.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said in February that U.S. drone flights over Mexico only occur after the government of Mexico has requested them in order to obtain information to be able to respond to prevailing “security conditions.”

Sheinbaum: No reports of ‘new drones’ at the Mexico-US border 

At her Wednesday morning press conference, Sheinbaum was asked whether the Mexican government has detected the illicit operation of drones near the Mexico-U.S. border and whether it is collaborating with the U.S. government to combat the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Sheinbaum July 23 2025
President Sheinbaum was asked about the drone operations at her Wednesday morning press conference. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

“At some point there was a drone that didn’t cross, let’s say, the border,” she said, adding that there is “permanent collaboration” between Mexico and the United States on security issues, especially at the border.

“There is no information of new drones that are at the border at this time,” Sheinbaum said.

“Remember that there is the [Northern] Border Operation with 10,000 National Guard troops,” she added.

Sheinbaum asserted that “there is nothing in particular” to be concerned about “at this moment,” offering a rebuttal to Willoughby’s assertion that a drone attack against U.S. citizens or law enforcement is “only a matter of time.”

There is “communication” and “collaboration” between Mexico and the United States, she stressed.

“There is no reason for additional concern,” Sheinbaum said.

For his part, Navy Minister Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles acknowledged that organized crime groups in Mexico have flown “commercial drones” for criminal purposes, but declared that “it hasn’t been detected that those types of drones are at the border.”

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])

Mexican farmers embrace nopal forage as alternative feed for livestock

By
MND Staff
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nopales
Research has led to a boost in the protein content of nopal, furthering its suitability as forage. (Magdalena Montiel/Cuartoscuro)

As drought conditions persist in northern Mexico, agricultural authorities and livestock producers are turning to nopal — the prickly pear cactus, and specifically its edible pads — as a sustainable, affordable solution for livestock feed.

In the northeastern border state of Tamaulipas, officials last month hosted a workshop titled “Nopal Protein Feed for Livestock: An Affordable, Drought-Resilient Solution” in the municipalities of Llera and Tula, aiming to equip farmers with technical knowledge on cactus-based feeding strategies.

nopal field
The benefits of nopal as livestock feed include its inherent drought resistance and its ability to thrive in harsh conditions. (Gobierno de la Ciudad de México/Cuartoscuro)

The benefits of nopal — including its inherent drought resistance and its ability to thrive in harsh conditions — make it an attractive and economical option for livestock feed.

“We know that the cactus is an alternative food for livestock, especially due to its protein content,” said René Lara Cisneros, mayor of Tula. “We live in times when the countryside demands innovation, efficiency and sustainability, and the cactus is a noble, resilient plant with a long tradition.”

The initiative, led by the state’s Department of Rural Development, Fisheries and Aquaculture, includes a commitment to providing practical tools to bolster rural productivity.

Two of the main speakers were Francisco Javier Macías Rodríguez, an agronomist at Chapingo Autonomous University (UACh) in México state, and Santiago de Jesús Méndez Gallegos, a specialist on goat farming and forage management.

The benefits they spoke of extend beyond Tamaulipas. 

In the northwestern border state of Sonora, the Navojoa Livestock Association has held similar workshops in conjunction with national agencies — including a 2021 project addressing the demands of livestock farmers in the face of water scarcity.

Jorge Luis García Rodríguez, regional director for the National Commission for Arid Zones, explained: “We seek to reduce water consumption in forage production and are turning to [UACh] to strengthen the cultivation of forage cactus, which uses only a quarter of the water required by forage corn or alfalfa.” 

Advances from research have boosted the protein content of cactus forage to commercial levels as high as 36% to 42%, and producers report significant savings on fodder purchases.

However, promoting its adoption requires robust technical support for producers in states and regions where drought has intensified the forage crisis.

Although much of Mexico has seen drought conditions ease since June, northern states such as Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Baja California still face extreme or exceptional drought, according to government data as of July 15.

Many areas are hoping for some relief when the rains come, but for a growing number of farmers, resilience means embracing drought-tolerant alternatives like nopal.

With reports from En Círculos, El Imparcial, El Debate, El Financiero and Meteored

9 Mexican ports to receive nearly US $16B in public-private investment

By
MND Staff
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The port of Veracruz, which moves over 30 million tonnes of cargo each year, will receive 10.2 billion pesos in public investment and 10.44 billion pesos in private investment, according to Mexico's Naval Ministry.
The port of Veracruz, which moves over 30 million tonnes of cargo each year, will receive 10.2 billion pesos in public investment and 10.44 billion pesos in private investment, according to Mexico's Naval Ministry. (Shutterstock)

Navy Minister Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles said Wednesday that the federal government is investing more than 55 billion pesos to modernize six ports, 22 billion pesos more than the figure announced in late 2024.

Speaking at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference, Morales said that the government investment in ports in Ensenada, Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Acapulco, Veracruz and Progreso “will attract private investment of 241.05 billion pesos” (US $12.95 billion).

The private investment figure he cited includes spending to upgrade the six aforesaid ports as well as the ports in Guaymas, Topolobambo and Altamira.

Combined, the public investment — 55.18 billion pesos (US $2.96 billion) — and private investment in the ports amount to 296.23 billion pesos (US $15.91 billion).

Morales’ declaration that the government is investing just over 55 billion pesos in the six ports comes seven months after federal authorities announced an investment of just under 33 billion pesos in the same six ports.

The breakdown of the public and private investment — as announced by the navy minister on Wednesday — is as follows:

  • Ensenada (Pacific coast in Baja California): Public investment of 5.63 billion pesos / private investment of 3.74 billion pesos
  • Manzanillo (Pacific coast in Colima): 20.5 billion pesos / 92.18 billion pesos
  • Lázaro Cárdenas (Pacific coast in Michoacán): 7.47 billion pesos / 5.75 billion pesos
  • Acapulco (Pacific coast in Guerrero): 670 million pesos / 680 million pesos
  • Veracruz (Gulf of Mexico coast): 10.2 billion pesos / 10.44 billion pesos
  • Progreso (Gulf of Mexico coast in Yucatán): 10.7 billion pesos / 1.89 billion pesos

The 241.05-billion-peso private investment figure Morales referred to includes spending of:

  • 40.69 billion pesos in the port in Guaymas on the Gulf of California coast in Sonora.
  • 84.86 billion pesos in the port in Topolobampo on the Gulf of California coast in Sinaloa.
  • 802 million pesos in the port in Altamira on the Gulf of Mexico coast in Tamaulipas.

Hutchison Ports, APM Terminals and Grupo CICE are among the private companies investing in Mexican ports.

The navy minister noted that projects are also planned for, or already being carried out in, ports in other parts of the country, including those in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, located on opposite sides of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

“We believe that at the end of this administration [in 2030] we’ll have a competitive and efficient national port system in line with the needs of the country,” Morales said.

In December, the Mexican Navy’s general director of port promotion and administration Marco Antonio Martínez Plancarte provided details about many of the specific projects that will be carried out at the ports in Ensenada, Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Acapulco, Veracruz and Progreso.

They include the construction of new terminals in Manzanillo, which will enable the port to become the No. 1 port in Latin America in terms of “the movement of containers,” according to Morales.

Navy minister: Consultation on port projects to be carried out in Ensenada 

Morales said that the “main vocation” of the port in Ensenada is tourism, adding that the government wants to move its cargo and fishing operations to the nearby port in El Sauzal.

He said that “some environmentalists” are opposed to the plan and consequently the government will carry out a “consultation of the population in Ensenada so that we all agree.”

“… The issue is with surfers,” Morales said, noting that El Sauzal is a popular surfing location.

He subsequently asserted that “the waves are moving more toward the north.”

Consequently, the construction of a new 20-million-peso “linear park” is planned in order to provide access to a beach (Playa San Miguel) “with better conditions for surfing,” Morales said.

“… These two projects, both the linear park and the [4.9-billion-peso] development of the El Sauzal port, are subject to three things,” he said.

Morales mentioned two of those things, saying that the local population and “port users” must agree to the projects and that environmental impact studies pertaining to them must be carried out first.

The projects won’t start until “we have all the completed studies,” he said.

The navy minister didn’t say when the proposed public consultation process in Ensenada would commence.

Ensenada looks to attract big tech with US $300M in public works investment 

In a statement issued last week, the Committee of the Bahía de Todos Santos World Surfing Reserve said that it was “categorically” opposed to “any attempt to legitimize … [the El Sauzal] project through simulated or manipulated participative processes disguised as dialogue with citizens.”

“… We make a strong and urgent call to the Government of Mexico to refrain from promoting contrived public consultations that [only] simulate openness. Instead, we urge the government to open a real social and environmental dialogue, based on scientific evidence, respect for the environmental legal framework, and the rights of the communities who inhabit and protect this territory,” the committee said.

“The sea is not up for consultation. The territory is not negotiable. The World Surfing Reserve is an international recognition that must be respected,” it added.

An Ensenada-San Diego ferry service is coming, but it’s not clear when

One of the proposed private sector projects in Ensenada is the construction of a ferry terminal, where services from San Diego would arrive.

“We’re going to have private investment of 1.5 billion pesos for a ferry terminal,” Morales said.

“What we’re seeking in Ensenada is to transport passengers from Ensenada to San Diego. We already have the boat,” he said.

According to an image Morales displayed, construction of the terminal is slated to commence in January 2026 and conclude in December 2028.

The navy minister noted that construction of a separate “passenger marine terminal” in the Ensenada port is underway. That project is 75% complete and will be finished next month, according to information presented by Morales.

The director of the Ensenada port, Admiral Luis Javier Robinson Portillo Villanueva, said a few weeks ago that a ferry service between Ensenada and San Diego would commence operations on July 24, but that appears to have been wishful thinking.

The service is to be operated by a company called Azteca Ferries, whose website is not fully operational as of July 23. Tickets are not yet on sale and it appears their prices have not been set.

Robinson said that the journey between Ensenada and San Diego will take just 90 minutes, and that ferries will initially dock at a provisional terminal in Ensenada.

The ferry will be able to accommodate up to 330 passengers, according to the news website San Diego Red.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])

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