Corn in Mexico is traditionally a spring, summer dry land crop. Irrigated area can increase marginally in states where reservoir water is available; however, the cost or benefit ratio is typically not attractive to Central Plateau corn producers. Recent dryness has resulted in more fields being revamped for irrigation, but economic realities make this a short-lived solution. There are a limited number of fields that are good candidates for rapid conversion to irrigation, a limited number of producers with sufficient financial resources to make the conversion, and a limited amount of water sources to draw upon.
From 1997 to 2001, an average of 676,000 hectares of irrigated corn was harvested in the summer, compared to a national average of 6,774,000hectares (irrigated plus non-irrigated hectares harvested). Much of the irrigated area is in the states Mexico, Guanajuato, and Michoacan, home to 245,000 irrigated hectares during the five year period.
