The arrival of investments in Mexico due to the phenomenon of relocation of productive chains (nearshoring) especially boosts the states of the northern border, while those in the south do not offer all the conditions to attract these projects, analysts said on the subject.
Industrialists and experts assure that the problem is that in the south of the country, there is a lack of electricity, natural gas, qualified personnel, and incentives, factors that even with the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec promoted by the government have not been achieved.
According to business organizations, investments via nearshoring are concentrated in the main exporting states: Chihuahua, Coahuila, Baja California, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.
The director of the analysis group Mexico, ¿Cómo vamos? (México, How Are We Doing?), Sofía Ramírez, said in an interview that nearshoring only comes where there is social progress.
“For foreign trade activities to take place, a minimum of infrastructure and logistical capacity is needed, as well as human capital,” he noted.
According to data from National Institute of Statistic and Geography (Inegi), in 2022 Chihuahua’s exports amounted to 76 billion dollars, while in Coahuila, Baja California, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas their value was 62 thousand, 53 thousand, 51 thousand, and 34 billion dollars, respectively.
In contrast, in the same year, the value of exports from Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas barely reached one billion dollars, in each case.
The vice president of Industrial Development of the Metal-Mechanical Sector of Canacintra, Juan Manuel Chaparro Romero, said that the southern states want to attract investments derived from nearshoring, but “that area of the country does not have the infrastructure that investors require to install production plants despite the tax incentives recently published by the government.”
The terminals and connections for the distribution of natural gas in that region are limited, he added, in addition to there being irregularities in the energy supply and deficiencies in municipal services such as sewage and drainage, among others.
“We must not forget that the insecurity and harassment of crime in Guerrero and other states is known to investors,” mentioned Chaparro Romero.
“Another limiting factor is the shortage of talent or qualified labor, which is found in the north of the country,” he stressed.
The president of the Energy Commission of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers (Concamin), Régulo Salinas, agreed that to attract investments, states must have infrastructure.
In the south, although the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is under development, there is not enough electricity or natural gas, while roads and railways are very limited, not to mention that this project will not conclude in this six-year term.
“It is a good idea to create infrastructure [in the Interoceanic Corridor]. Hopefully, they finish it and that will eventually attract investment,” he added.
The general director of the consulting firm Trust VIP Class, Juan Carlos Morales, explained that foreign direct investment (FDI) is strategically positioned in the center and north of the country, which leads to thinking that the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada is the main driver of investment. The above also causes 58% of that capital to be concentrated in five states -Mexico City, Nuevo León, Sonora, Chihuahua, and the State of Mexico-, where the manufacturing and industrial sector has a broad presence.
TYT Newsroom