Mexico City, Mexico — President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that next year she will launch a national program to increase the production of native corn. The program will be aimed at corn produced by small-scale farmers, especially in the center and south of the country.
“For thousands of years they have provided us with all these varieties of corn. If we don’t take care of them, they could be lost. Soon we will present an ambitious program, in addition to Production for Well-being and free fertilizer support, to support the cultivation of criollo corn, the corn native to Mexico,” she explained Monday.
“Without corn there is no country,” said Sheinbaum mentioning that since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the price of corn, native or genetically modified, is set on the Chicago Stock Exchange.
“There were people who said ‘Well, let genetically modified corn come to Mexico’, but the problem is that we lose Mexico’s biological and cultural richness along with the adaptation these corn varieties have for the future.”
Sheinbaum reported that in 2021 and 2022, the price per ton of corn was around 7,500 pesos, however, now, a ton sells under 5,000 pesos, posing a serious problem for Mexican producers.
She said that the government’s proposal, which contemplates direct sales from indigenous communities through businesses such as tortilla factories to promote production, will be revived.
“So that there’s added value and with that added value, there’s a different price, even for the direct purchase of corn. Production continues and people enjoy well-being.”
Alicia Bárcena Ibarr, the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, said that corn is a food found in all of Mexico’s indigenous cultures. Domestication allows corn to adapt to diverse climates, allowing it to grow throughout the country. More than 64 varieties of corn have been documented in Mexico, she said, 59 of which are native.
Genetically modified corn, on the other hand, while cheaper to grow, cannot be replanted. In commercial agriculture, the seed is purchased and not reproduced.
She highlighted the importance of the recent constitutional reform to Articles 4 and 27, which recognizes corn as a fundamental part of our identity and food security, but also prohibits genetically modified corn. Corn and its wild relatives are part of Mexico’s biological, economic and cultural heritage.
