The overproduction of blue agave in Mexico has caused a drastic disparity in prices, trading between $0.80 and $8.00 pesos per kilo. This situation is a direct result of the massive influx of outside investors during the previous boom, which generated a severe surplus of raw material.

Against this backdrop, the Agave Responsable Social (ARS) program has established itself as the primary lifeline for farmers. Through direct sales to formalized tequila producers like Casa Cuervo and Herradura, growers who are properly registered with the SAT (the Mexican tax authority) obtain between $6.00 and $8.00 pesos per kilo, mainly in the Los Altos and Valles regions. In contrast, those without proper tax compliance end up at the mercy of coyotaje (predatory middlemen).

The impact of the ARS is definitive: it accounts for over 1,535 registered producers, 164 participating tequila companies, and surpasses 200,000 tons commercialized. At the same time, the model is taking on an inclusive dimension championed by more than 750 women agave growers (mujeres agaveras), who seek to highlight their leadership in the fields by promoting the acronym ARSM.

In a highly turbulent market, formal tax status and direct partnerships with the industry represent the ultimate key to restoring profitability, certainty, and equity to the agave-growing families of the region.