Mexico: Beer production forecast to drop by 16.5% this year

Mexico has become an important player in the beer sector, sales in 2019 were 124.5 mln hl, H. M. Gauger GmbH said in their September report.

In 2019/20 Mexican imports of malting barley reached a record of 320,000 tonnes, the largest volume from the USA, but also from the EU and Argentina. Malt purchases in 2019 included 385 thousand tonnes from the USA, 88.5 thousand from Canada, and 74.5 thousand from the EU.

Beer production was only halted partly from April 5 till early June. Constellation Brands continued to brew, AB InBev and Heineken did not, the national production fell to 40%. During the first quarter, the national production was still 31 mln hl, plus 7%, but the forecast for the year is 104 mln hl, a drop of 16.5%.