SADER: Campeche milk output rises 7%; national collections reach 665 million litres
Figures from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI), cited in the review by the Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural (SADER), placed Campeche second among Mexican states for growth in primary-sector activities. The state recorded an increase of 55.3%, against a national average of 4.8%. Alongside the expansion in dairy output, the review reported a 25% improvement in the farm-gate milk price, which moved from 8.10 to 10.00 pesos per litre. Plan Campeche and the expansion of Leche para el Bienestar are intended to support primary production in south-eastern Mexico and strengthen the country’s food sovereignty.
The authorities plan to operate nine milk-collection centres in Campeche during 2026. Five are already receiving milk, while four remain under construction. A transfer of 141.6 million pesos in October supported investment in six drilling rigs for livestock water wells, three tanker trucks and five cooling tanks. The programme also includes a commitment to drill 300 wells a year in the state. Elsewhere, agro-industrial projects under way include two collection centres in Sinaloa and a new milk-drying plant in Michoacán.
Nationally, Leche para el Bienestar serves 2,239 municipalities. Its distribution network expanded by 34.5% to 13,592 active sales outlets, with 2,440 milk shops opened in coordination with Alimentación para el Bienestar. The state-owned organisation’s record collection volume was handled through 63 receiving centres. It also provided 242 direct loans to livestock farmers, worth a combined 42 million pesos. The source describes cattle feed—including maize silage, cut forage and commercial protein concentrates—as accounting for more than 70% of operating expenditure per litre on dairy farms. It links the 10-peso purchase price and stable buying contracts to fortnightly cash flow for family-run herds facing livestock-input costs.
The report also discusses milk handling in Campeche’s tropical and subtropical production systems, including dual-purpose herds combining zebu and European dairy breeds. It identifies heat stress and humidity as factors increasing susceptibility to environmental mastitis, and calls for hygienic forestripping and teat-disinfection procedures around milking. After milking, it recommends rapid, continuous cooling to 4°C in insulated stainless-steel tanks before collection by temperature-controlled tankers. These procedures are described as limiting microbial growth and maintaining titratable acidity, casein and milk-fat characteristics before delivery to processing plants.
On the retail side, the report describes the availability of blended dairy products and milk substitutes in neighbourhood shops and commercial chains across central and south-eastern Mexico. It says these low-priced products use ingredients such as imported dried whey, modified starches and hydrogenated palm fats, and are marketed as cow’s milk. Strengthening milk production in the south-east is intended to address supply shortfalls and the spread of substitutes. Leche para el Bienestar supplies cow’s milk processed through continuous pasteurisation above 72°C or ultra-high-temperature treatment at 138°C for four seconds, followed by aseptic packaging. Its milk is fortified with iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamins as part of the programme’s nutritional provision for vulnerable communities, including efforts to address childhood malnutrition and iron-deficiency anaemia.
For the infrastructure programme, the report calls for continuing technical supervision of well drilling and tanker deployment, and coordination between dairy production and the collection and processing projects under construction. It identifies refrigerated collection during production peaks in dry and rainy seasons as an operational concern. It also recommends strict food-safety controls at receiving facilities as part of support for small-scale livestock producers.
