AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVE STRUCTURE OF THE STATE OF SINALOA (MEXICO) AFTER THE NORTH AMERICA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (NAFTA)

Abstract

The objective of this research was to analyze the changes in Sinaloa’s agricultural productive structure since the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) entered into force in order to find out its impact in the development of the sector. Variables, such as planted area, harvested area, and total production of cereals, forage, industrial crops, fruits, vegetables, dried legumes, oilseeds and tuber vegetables, were considered. Values of agricultural GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the State of Sinaloa and Mexico in the period 1995-2012 were also analyzed. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) using an orthogonal canonical analysis was performed. A principal component analysis and an exploratory descriptive analysis of dimensional type were also used. A statistic difference (p< 0.05) was found for the area planted with cereal and fruit, which showed a steady increase during the time period under study. The harvested area with forage, dried legumes and oilseeds remained constant over the period (p > 0.05). No difference was found in terms of total production.