Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Mennonite communities in Quintana Roo continue to be under surveillance by state authorities. Governor Mara Lezama says they are now monitoring Mennonite crops for the planting of genetically modified corn.
According to Lezama, both state and federal authorities are conducting surveillance operations in the state’s Mennonite communities due to jungle devastation. Thousands of hectares of land have been illegally cleared by the Mennonite communities to make room for agriculture.
Governor Lezama says Mennonite agroindustrial expansion is one of their main environmental concerns with the possibility of them planting genetically modified corn.
In a 2023 presidential decree, Mexico banned the use of genetically modified (GM) corn seeds, including GM corn products imported from the U.S. The ban was implemented over human health consumption concerns as well as concerns that the genetically modified crops could contaminate native varieties.
According to Araceli Domínguez, President of the Mayab Environmental Group, Mennonite communities have cleared large tracts of jungle to plant intensive monoculture crops of corn, sorghum and soybeans, which directly affects beekeepers, as it eliminates the wild flora that sustains traditional honey production.
The disappearance of native plants also alters the habitat of pollinators, negatively impacting peasant crops and biodiversity.
Governor Lezama says this issue was one of the central points recently discussed with the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico, Alicia Bárcena.
“It was one of the important issues we discussed with Alicia Bárcena. We are working with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture given the suspicion that genetically modified corn could be planted,” she said.
Lezama explained that there is already communication with federal authorities responsible for the environmental and agricultural sectors to address the effects caused by certain practices associated with the Mennonite communities, which have generated concern in areas of high ecological value.
