Paving the Way for a Sustainable Agrologistics System for CEDA in Mexico

The Central de Abasto (CEDA) in the municipality of Iztapalapa in Mexico City is the largest wholesale market in the world. On the 327 hectares of the market, there are around 9,000 businesses generating employment to more than 90,000 people handling 30,000 tonnes of food products daily, serving more than 300,000 customers and supplying a significant proportion of the food supply of Mexico City’s approximately 22 million inhabitants. It is estimated that CEDA manages 5.5% of all the food produced in Mexico throughout the year. However, a lot has changed in the 40 years since CEDA was established, and throughput growth as well as urban sprawl putting pressure on the logistics functions of the market. This raises the question ”how can CEDA develop its agrologistics strategy for sustained success in the next 40 years?”

As such, the study sought to develop a roadmap for CEDA's agrologistics strategy to sustain success in the next 40 years. This was achieved by identifying best practices applicable to CEDA's operations through interviews, literature research, and an analysis of the agrologistics strategies of three major wholesale markets worldwide, which served as peers to CEDA. The roadmap developed from these findings included actionable recommendations to guide CEDA's future agrologistics strategy.