In Mexico, thousands of agricultural producers have blocked various points on the country's highways this week in protest over the government's inattention to the agricultural sector, amid falling prices. "A handshake doesn't solve the crisis," warn the Peasant Agricultural Movement, which states that the countryside is "a ticking time bomb." Juan Carlos Anaya, director of the Agricultural Markets Consulting Group, explained in an interview with LPO that the situation in the agricultural sector is due to a collapse in reference prices, higher costs for both seeds and fertilizers, and security issues plaguing the sector and making it less profitable. In this context, producers are demanding government-guaranteed prices, which during the 4T administration were only offered to small producers, not to the entire sector. The response came on Wednesday, but with little effect on the demands, as they continue. On Thursday, the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT) reported that blockages persist on some highway sections connecting Michoacán, Guanajuato, Tlaxcala, Sinaloa, and Puebla, with eight sections still affected. Yesterday, during the morning conference at the National Palace, Julio Berdegué, head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader), stated that an agreement had been reached with producers, which includes a commitment to a 950-peso support per tonne, greater access to a government loan at half the market interest rate for all producers, and the creation of the Mexican System for Maize Market Regulation and Marketing. In exchange, the deactivation of road blockades was promised; however, these persist amidst the uncertainty that remains despite the government's announcement, which is considered insufficient and unsustainable in the long term. "Where are the rules, how is it going to operate, what are the reference prices worth, what is the target price, where is the mechanism, how are producers going to negotiate with buyers?" Under the current context, it is accused of being an "exclusive policy" that is also not transparent. For Anaya, the agreement announced yesterday is insufficient, as he points out it is not clear that it addresses the main demands, such as returning to a marketing scheme that includes an objective income for all basic grains like corn, beans, soybeans, etc. "Why do we continue?" he questioned.
