The agricultural sector was the most exposed industry to extortive crime over the first half of 2026, measured both by the number of incidents and number of victims globally, according to the latest figures from global strategic intelligence and security firm Control Risks, with businesses in Latin America particularly at risk. The often rural location of farms, plantations, ranches and agribusinesses, where a police presence can be limited and criminals enjoy greater freedom of movement, means the sector offers an attractive target for both kidnappers and extortionists looking to target owners of valuable land, equipment, livestock and crops.
“Agriculture offers fertile ground for criminals to exploit, particularly given how many businesses have family members working and living in close proximity, and are dependent on running uninterrupted operations,” says Elman Myers, Senior Consultant to the Hiscox Crisis Management division in Miami. “In turn, the absence of professional security arrangements exposes more agricultural businesses to kidnapping and extortion, increasing the need for a renewed focus on a more comprehensive approach to crisis preparedness and specialised kidnap and ransom insurance coverage.”
A rich harvest for criminals
A key problem for agricultural businesses when it comes to their vulnerability to kidnap and ransom (K&R) or extortion risk is their size and visibility, which makes it difficult to keep a 'low profile'. Take a farm, for example, where its potential value to a criminal is easily calculable from the acreage, types of crops grown, livestock, amount of equipment, number of buildings and personnel. “The owners of such an operation,” says Myers, “are usually well-known in the area and often present as an easy target with a predictable operational routine of when they arrive, work, and leave. Given their rural and sometimes isolated locations, agricultural businesses are also ‘big fish in a small pond – their status as the largest and most visible organisations in the area making them the most potentially lucrative to criminals.”
Typically, the perpetrators of a kidnap or, more commonly, an extortion against such an operation will be an organised criminal group, who will threaten to harm the owner or their family, or cause damage to the business unless a ransom is paid. “Sometimes this ransom is calculated as a fixed amount per acre under cultivation or ton of product produced,” explains Myers. "Criminals can also demand that members of their group be given supervisory positions within the business. All of this is done under duress and under threat of harm." And it's big business, with the Mexican National Agricultural Council (CNA) reported as saying that individual workers can be charged up to 800 Mexican pesos (MXN) just to access their crops, while trucks connected to the business can face a further charge of up to 8,000 MXN to use public roads.
Protection payments
In Mexico, this 'fee' is known as a 'derecho de piso’ – literally ‘paying your dues’ – and if not paid to an organised criminal group, the result can be actions such as the destruction of property, attacks on workers, destruction of crops or livestock, and potentially kidnapping. Similarly in Colombia and Ecuador, the term is ‘vacuna’ or vaccination; implying that if the fee is paid, then the business is vaccinated against violence perpetrated by the local criminal group. In Peru, the practice is known as paying ‘cupos’, or periodic payments to criminals to ensure the business can keep operating without problems. Not paying cupos has led to violent reprisals against the business owner. “In all cases, extortion against agricultural operations can be disconcerting and create anxiety and fear as it is not always clear how to best respond to these threats,” says Myers.
Reduce the risk
What then can the agricultural sector do to reduce the risk? Part of the problem, says Myers, is not acknowledging that there is a problem: “It is tempting for many agricultural operations to engage in wishful thinking and believe that a kidnap or extortion won’t happen to them. But it can and does happen every day throughout the Latin American region.” Once the risk is identified and accepted, a business can then consider what preventive measures to take. “These steps can include increasing security for when the owners arrive and depart the operation, and varying the time and day of visits; following a predictable routine will make businesses more vulnerable given kidnappers will know when and where they can attack,” adds Myers. “The use of an armoured car can also be appropriate in some circumstances when travelling, as well as putting in place effective physical security at the office to prevent an individual or gang simply walking in and staging a kidnap.”
Insure the risk
A further option for agricultural businesses is to protect themselves with a K&R insurance product. "Insurance can provide a range of benefits to help prevent an incident taking place or mitigate the impact should something happen,” says Myers. “A good product offers preventive orientation, the support of experienced crisis response consultants to help deal with the kidnap or extortion, and a confidential insurance policy that provides reimbursement of losses incurred as a result of the kidnap or extortion.” Such a policy, Myers concludes, is an important part of an overall risk management approach to safely dealing with the kidnap and extortion threat to agricultural operations from organised criminal groups and others.
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