Problems at the end of 1994 led to a financial collapse. The USA is Mexico's most important trading partner and many US manufacturers take advantage of lower wage costs by locating assembly plants south of the border. Mexico is moving from the primary sector of agriculture and mining to semi-industrialisation. A number of overseas companies including some from the UK are investing in Mexico. About one-third of the working population are employed in farming, forestry and fishing.
Many farmers are subsistence farmers although there are also some large agricultural companies.
The greatest number of people live in the towns with the highest proportion of the workforce employed in the services sector and about one-fifth working in industry. The variation in climate leads to the production of a variety of crops such as wheat, maize, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, cocoa, coffee, rice, sugar, rubber, cotton, tobacco, chicle gum. Mexico also produces honey, oranges, bananas and pineapples. The agricultural sector also includes ranches with large herds of beef cattle. Mexican fisheries produce shrimps, prawns, oysters, sardine and tuna.