Abstract

FERNANDEZ-GALICIA, Yessica Viridiana; SAGARNAGA-VILLEGAS, Leticia Myriam; SALAS-GONZALEZ, José Maria  and  PORTILLO-VAZQUEZ, Marcos. Pulque: an outlook from agribusiness. Rev. Mex. Cienc. Agríc [online]. 2024, vol.15, n.7, e3380.  Epub May 27, 2025. ISSN 2007-0934.  https://doi.org/10.29312/remexca.v15i7.3380.

Pulque is a fermented alcoholic beverage originating in Mexico, made from the fermentation of aguamiel extracted from Agave salmiana and other species, and its exploitation is concentrated in the central region of Mexico. In recent years, its consumption has increased due to a greater appreciation of national identity and its natural nature free of conservatives. The increase in consumption has encouraged farmers to invest in planting this variety of agave. Nevertheless, there is scarce scientific literature on the profitability of this productive activity. This research contributes to identifying the profitability of the crop by estimating production costs and revenues of a representative production unit located in Coatepec, Ixtapaluca, Mexico. The information was collected through producer panels in 2021, the data were processed according to the methodology of the association of agricultural economists of the United States, adapted for Mexico. The production of pulque in the conditions and region described is a profitable agribusiness, mainly due to the level of integration of the production chain, low transaction costs, and sales in short marketing channels; it is recommended to expand economic studies in other pulque-producing areas and evaluate competitiveness.

Keywords : Agave salmiana; aguamiel; economic feasibility; production costs.

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