Mexico to proceed with transgenic corn ban

Mexico is considering direct agreements with farmers in the United States, Argentina, and Brazil to secure imports of non-GMO yellow corn, the country’s deputy agriculture minister said, adding that the ban on genetically modified grain starting in 2024 will remain unchanged.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Victor Suarez told Reuters that Mexico is on track to halve its imports of U.S. yellow corn, used mainly for animal feed when the ban takes effect in 2024. The idea is to increase domestic production.

Suarez said that to make up for the remaining gap, the country will seek agreements with farmers in other countries who grow non-GMO corn and can sell it to Mexico.

“There are many alternatives to importing non-GMO yellow corn from the United States,” Suarez said on October 26.

It was the strongest indication from Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry that the ban would hit yellow corn for livestock feed.

Mexico – one of the world’s largest buyers of corn – currently imports about 17 million tons of grain from the U.S. each year, the vast majority of yellow corn for animal feed.

The 2020 decree by Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador aims to phase out GM corn and the herbicide glyphosate by 2024.

Advocates say GM seeds can contaminate Mexico’s ancient native varieties and point to research showing the adverse effects of glyphosate.

U.S. agricultural lobbies say the ban will cause billions of dollars in economic damage to both countries.

They have called Washington to challenge it under the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada) trade pact.

MAIZALL, an international chamber representing growers in Argentina, Brazil, and the United States, which account for more than 80% of global corn exports, said they would not change their non-GMO corn production methods to accommodate Mexico.

They expressed skepticism that Mexico could find enough non-GMO corn to meet its needs.

Mexico could make announcements in the second half of 2023, Suarez said when asked if Mexico would clarify the future of U.S. imports.

He said there would be no changes to the decree.

With information from Forbes