The Central de Abasto (Groceries Centre) is Mexico City’s main wholesale market for produce and other foodstuffs run similarly to traditional public markets. Located in the eastern borough of Iztapalapa, it is the most important commercial establishment in Mexico and the largest of its kind in the world.
The Central de Abasto is one of the two large wholesale markets in Mexico City, along with the Nueva Viga market, which specialises in fish and seafood. The facility is located on a property that covers 328 hectares, with more than 2,000 business that sell principally fruit, vegetables, meat and some processed foods in a main building that covers 85 hectares.
This and the Nueva Viga market are the two largest employers in Iztapalapa. The market generates 70,000 jobs directly and attends to more than 300,000 people per day. Its distribution network connects with more than 1,500 points of sale, including mercados públicos, tianguis, 380 establishments associated with fifteen chain stores as well as other kinds of commercial centres.
The market handles over 30,000 tonnes of merchandise daily, representing 80% of the consumption of the Mexico City metropolitan area. Central de Abasto was constructed to be the meeting point for producers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers for the entire country. The market was established on former farmland to ease congestion in the historic centre of Mexico City, but since then, the city has grown around it, bringing problems with traffic and crime, with robbery and kidnappings being the most serious.
The project was designed by architect Abraham Zabludovsky. He designed a slightly deformed hexagon-shaped building which measures 2,250 metres across. The entrances and exits are located on opposite ends of the building. In addition, there are more than 60 other installations on the property with services such as refrigeration, shipping and more.
The market was established and is run by the Fideicomiso Central de Abasto de la Ciudad de México, which is a trust set up in 1981 for the duration of 99 years under the Ley General de Títulos y Operaciones de Crédito. Members of the trust include the Government of Mexico City and the Secretary of Economic Development.
The trust is headed by an Administrador General designated by a committee and approved by the head of the government of Mexico City. In 2002, daily operations of the market were turned over to the private sector, but with oversight by the trust. In addition to running the market, another function of the trust is to provide financing to suppliers, especially agricultural producers with little technology or credit with financing to allow them access to the principal markets of Mexico, as well as international markets.