Mexican Berries and Agro-Industrial Competitiveness: International Insertion Dynamics through the MAGIC Plus software.

Abstract

This paper analyzes the evolution of the international competitiveness of Mexican berry exports over the period 2000-2020. Competitiveness is conceptualized as a country’s ability to increase its share in international markets by displacing competitors through revealed and sustainable comparative advantages. The study employs MAGIC Plus software, a tool developed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which combines an ex-post trade competitiveness framework with an interactive software platform and a comprehensive international trade database. The analysis focuses on Mexico’s main berry products, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, which have exhibited strong export dynamism and increasing integration into global value chains over the last two decades. The results show a significant expansion of exports, a high degree of concentration in the U.S. market, and a progressive diversification of the export basket, consolidating the berry sector as a strategic component of Mexico’s agro-industrial competitiveness.