Mexico is facing a deep crisis in its agricultural sector, exacerbated by organized crime, abuse by intermediaries, and systemic government neglect. This was stated by Ignacio Martínez, coordinator of LACEN-UNAM.
According to him, intermediaries are the sole beneficiaries of government subsidies and seed prices, penalizing local producers and unrestrictedly increasing consumer prices. Martínez also pointed to the presence of businesspeople in the 4T government linked to genetically modified seeds, which he believes shows the Minister of Agriculture's lack of knowledge of agricultural policy cycles and internal costs due to insecurity.
Experts highlight a structural problem: despite the slogans of food sovereignty, the country is becoming increasingly dependent on imports of yellow corn from the United States. This dependency has grown due to climate change, the constitutional ban on planting genetically modified crops, and the court ruling against Mexico on glyphosate, in which large companies like Minsa and Maseca are importers.
Mexican farmers face falling seed prices due to overproduction in the U.S. and rising production costs driven by extortion from organized crime, "coyotaje" (smuggling), and price distortions caused by intermediaries. This has led to reduced profitability and stagnation in local production.
Last week, the country experienced a massive agricultural strike demanding greater support for corn production. Rodolfo Ostolaza, an economist from Banamex, noted that the current profitability is only 12%, which could affect two million agricultural workers.
The government responded to the demands by promising a series of support measures that prevented the protest from escalating. However, experts agree that this does not solve the structural problem of corn, which is just another chapter in the "perfect storm" in Mexican agriculture that has been ongoing since revolutionary times.
