Mexican dairy farmers to receive up to 11.50 pesos per litre
The guaranteed purchase price for chilled milk would exceed prevailing local prices by between 3.50 and 4.50 pesos per litre. Federal programme rules provide for a base payment of 10.90 pesos, with supplements totalling up to 0.60 pesos linked to bacterial quality, butterfat content, casein levels and continued participation. The programme previously operated under the Liconsa name. Robles Camargo said the prices paid by intermediaries for raw milk collected at farms were leaving family-run dairy operations close to financial collapse.
Federal investment in the La Despensa facility is estimated at approximately 20 million pesos. The work will include repairs to the buildings, replacement of electrical connections and installation of a stainless-steel rapid-cooling tank with a capacity of 12,000 litres. The state purchasing operation requires daily deliveries of at least 10,000 litres. To reach that threshold, the collection network will also involve farmers from northern Guasave and the lower part of El Fuerte.
Cooling is a central part of the planned infrastructure. High ambient temperatures in Sinaloa accelerate bacterial growth and increasing acidity when raw milk is not promptly chilled to four degrees Celsius after morning milking. The report identifies hygiene during milking and temperature control during collection as requirements for meeting the programme’s acceptance standards. It also calls for training small producers to prevent deliveries from being rejected after laboratory checks for acidity or inhibitors.
The commercial setting includes competition from dairy blends and formulations sold in neighbourhood shops and other retail outlets across north-western Mexico. These products contain ingredients including imported dried whey and hydrogenated palm-derived vegetable fats. The report attributes weaker demand for fresh local milk, and pressure on the prices offered by cheesemakers and private collectors, partly to this competition. Milk purchased through Leche para el Bienestar will enter federal social-supply programmes, which distribute pasteurised, fortified milk to vulnerable families.
Dairy farms in Sinaloa’s agricultural valleys also face recurring drought and higher prices for maize silage, alfalfa hay and energy concentrates. Cattle feed accounts for more than 70% of operating costs per litre produced. The report links payments of seven pesos per litre to continuing operating losses and the premature slaughter of dairy cows. It anticipates that higher programme payments will improve weekly cash flow and allow spending on preventive veterinary treatment, including mastitis control, herd genetics and balanced feed supplements.
Preparations for the collection centre involve the Asociación Ganadera Local de Ahome, state livestock-health committees, and technical staff from Segalmex and Leche para el Bienestar. The report identifies coordination of insulated-tanker collection routes to more distant rural communities as an operational requirement. It also calls for transparent producer registers and calibrated weighing equipment to limit intermediary abuses in milk deliveries, alongside training and laboratory controls at the receiving facility.
