The citrus industry in Mexico: Analysis and perspectives

The United States and Mexico are the second and third largest orange producers in the world, respectively. As such, it is not surprising that issues related to trade in fresh and processed oranges were among the most contentious in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiation process. In this dissertation, the orange production/consumption sector in both countries is described. Competition between the two countries is analyzed in the context of a model of the world orange juice market. The prospects for increased trade in orange products is considered as the provisions of NAFTA are fully implemented.; The overall objective of this dissertation is to provide an analysis of the market for fresh and processed oranges in the United States and Mexico. This is accomplished by describing the existing market in both countries. The descriptive analysis is used as a basis for the development of a quantitative model of the processed orange market in the United States and the fresh and processed orange markets in Mexico.; The processed orange industries of Mexico and Florida are discussed with reference to NAFTA. A scenario is analyzed via a spatial equilibrium model on the impact of increased Mexican imports to the United States, as orange juice tariffs are phased-out.; Before and after the implementation of NAFTA, the economy in Mexico has been constantly transformed. This dissertation analyzes the major economic changes implemented during the last ten years in Mexico. The analysis is presented in a descriptive form, describing the behavior of the most important macroeconomic variables in the Mexican economy.