Analysis of the sector structure and the public-private partnership of maize seed in Mexico

Introduction. The rapid growth of private investment in the maize seed sector poses challenges for public breeding organizations and smaller seed companies that have increasingly less access to technologies and markets. The International Maize Improvement Consortium (IMIC-LA) created in Mexico in 2011, seeks to increase the size and competitiveness of the seed sector through access to germplasm and breeding tools. However, there are no recent basic data and measures of the sector structure that allow evaluating this and other sector initiatives. Objective. To update and analyze the structure indicators of total seed sales, participation in sales by categories of companies and type of seed varieties, and coverage with improved seeds in Mexico. Materials and methods. Maize seed sales data from interviews and surveys with seed companies and official seed production statistics from the Servicio Nacional de Inspeccion y Certificacion de Semillas (SNICS) from 2011 to 2016 were used. Results. The results showed a larger and more competitive seed sector after twenty-five years of opening, especially in the most recent years in which the rapid increase in volume and the share of sales of the national business subsector stands out. Conclusion. The broad participation of seed companies as members of the consortium and the development and commercialization of new seed varieties suggest a positive impact and a role of the consortium in the growth and competitiveness of the national subsector.