Foreign investment in Chihuahua dropped 42.6% due to lack of safety

Chihuahua, Chihuahua— Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) dropped 42.6% in Chihuahua upon closing 2011 when compared to the amounts invested in 2010, according to historical data from the Ministry of the Economy. Last year US$884.2 million were invested at the state, while in 2010 investments amounted to US$1.540 billion. According to Ignacio Manjarrez, Chairman, Coparmex-Chihuahua, the drop is attributed to lack of public safety and the international economic crisis. As a matter of fact, according to analyses made by Aregional Consultants Firm, FDI dropped at the 10 states with the highest crime indexes. They informed that in 2006-2011 period, Sonora suffered a 56.69% drop, in Nuevo Leon it was 53.72%, State of Mexico 53.59%; Puebla 48.31%, Tamaulipas 45.52%, Chihuahua 40.89%, Quintana Roo 38.30%, Baja California 37.27% and Jalisco 32.63%.