Interview:José Calzada Rovirosa How intense is competition between states in attracting large-scale investments? JOSE CALZADA ROVIROSA: All states in the Mexican federation are interested in attracting foreign and domestic investment, and investors are well aware of this. Each state follows a different strategy depending on its strengths or background. Our strategy in Querétaro has been to…
Interview:Francisco Arturo Vega de Lamadrid How does not being connected to the national power grid affect power intensive industries? FRANCISCO ARTURO VEGA DE LAMADRID: Thanks to our location adjacent to the eighth largest regional economy in the world, the US state of California, the BC region benefits from enough imported power to service all new investment spaces. The majority of products…
Interview:Raúl Gallegos How can private investment in research and development (R&D) be increased? RAUL GALLEGOS: The first thing to do is educate private companies to understand that investments in research and innovation are long-term strategies and not always profitable in the short run. As investments in R&D often lack immediate return, companies in Mexico have historically leaned…
Interview:Gabriel Oswaldo Contreras Saldívar Why was a new regulator needed, and what powers does this agency have over its predecessor? GABRIEL OSWALDO CONTRERAS SALDIVAR: The functions of the previous regulator, the Federal Commission of Telecommunications (Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones, COFETEL), were closely linked with executive power: COFETEL was a decentralised agency within…
Interview:Ankur Prakash How big is the potential of the information technology (IT) services market? ANKUR PRAKASH: Mexico, unlike Brazil, has a dynamic market with 90% of the industry domestic, and it exports only 10% of its total value, which is around $4.5bn. There is still remarkable room for growth, particularly for exports of business process outsourcing services. For instance, India…
Interview:Alonso Quintana Kawage What do you make of the 2013-18 national infrastructure plan? Can it be carried out efficiently? ALONSO QUINTANA KAWAGE: Without a doubt this is an ambitious plan. Projects with a total value exceeding $300bn imply annual investment of more than 6% of GDP, a figure never before reached in the history of Mexico. By way of comparison, the previous administration…
Interview:Claudia Ruiz Massieu Which countries should be prioritised in terms of increasing connectivity and tourism flows? CLAUDIA RUIZ MASSIEU: Economic and demographic ties, as well as geographical proximity, have combined to make the US our principal market. In 2013, 55% of international air travellers were from the US. We have also had high numbers from Canada, the UK, Spain, Argentina,…
Interview:Luis Rebollar González Given that agriculture employs 12.7% of the population yet contributes just 3% to GDP, in what way can productivity be improved? LUIS REBOLLAR GONZALEZ: The way in which the countryside is structured dates back to the time of the Mexican Revolution, when land was divided and given in tenure to small communities. The main challenge to the agriculture sector…
Interview:Jesús Ancer Rodríguez Substandard education does not appear to be caused by a lack of funding. What is the problem? JESUS ANCER RODRIGUEZ: Over the past few years there has been major investment in the educational system, which is reflected by the more than $46bn allocated to it in the 2013 budget, most of it directed to the basic education system. Expenditure in education is adequate.…
Interview:Carlos Méndez What is your view on the future of the economy? CARLOS MÉNDEZ:Several sources indicate that Mexico’s growth in 2014 will be around 4% due to the increase in domestic demand. The percentage growth could be higher in 2015, these sources add, due to the reforms the government started to implement in 2013 and the improvement of the economic perspectives of the US, which…
