The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, responded to the controversy over a possible increase in the price of tortilla and was blunt: there are no reasons for the cost of this basic food to rise in the country. During the morning conference this Tuesday, April 14th, the head of state denied reports pointing to an increase of between 2 and 4 pesos per kilogram, as tortilla sector representatives have indicated. “There is no reason for the increase,” Sheinbaum assured that corn prices are at low levels, so she ruled out that there is real pressure to raise the cost of tortilla. “A person said that the price of tortilla was going to increase, that is not true, it has no reason for the increase of tortilla,” she stated. Additionally, she indicated that after learning the information, she communicated with the head of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Julio Berdegué Sacristán, to review the situation with producers and sector actors. Government will seek to stop increases The president announced that this same week she will hold meetings with producers, distributors, and supermarkets as part of the Package Against Inflation and High Prices (PACIC), with the aim of preventing unjustified increases in basic products. In that context, she also questioned the price variations in other foods, pointing out marked differences between points of sale. “How is it possible that the kilo of tomatoes is at 20 pesos in ISSSTE stores and in other places up to 80 pesos? Something is wrong there,” she commented. Sheinbaum warned that no distributor should take advantage of market conditions to unduly raise prices and assured that her government will intervene to stabilize them if necessary. In this way, the federal government seeks to contain inflation in basic basket products, amidst conflicting reports between authorities and sector representatives about the future price of tortilla in Mexico.
