Days earlier, agricultural and transport organizations had already warned about the possibility of indefinite blockades in up to 20 states. Among the factors fueling the conflict are the increase in input costs, insecurity on roads, and lack of funding, elements that, according to the producers themselves, put the viability of Mexican agriculture and food supply at risk. The tension between the Federal Government and organizations of transporters and peasants escalated again this Friday, after representatives of the sector broke off dialogue with the Ministry of the Interior (Segob), arguing that «there are no conditions» to continue negotiations. Members of the National Front for the Rescue of Mexican Agriculture (FNRCM) and the National Association of Transporters in Mexico (Antac) pointed out that they had a meeting scheduled with Segob for this day, which could not take place because the authorities conditioned the encounter on the withdrawal of the still-active blockades in some parts of the country. «We had hoped the reception would be good, but it was the opposite. This same week, transport and producer organizations held protests in at least nine states, with partial closures on roads and highways. The protesters claim that the dialogue tables have not provided concrete solutions to their main demands, including greater road safety, a stop to extortion, a reduction in fuel costs, and effective support for agriculture. Transporters and farmers 'clash' with Sheinbaum. While the organizations accuse the government of lacking the will to respond to their demands and even point to acts of repression during mobilizations, the Federal Government has minimized the impact of the blockades and ensures it maintains open channels of dialogue. President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated this week that her administration is addressing the sector's demands, although she ruled out providing resources through intermediaries and insisted that support must be delivered directly to producers. «The times when the Government of Mexico distributed resources to its leaders are over, because now that money is delivered directly,» she stated. «That is what we tell all those who are demonstrating, we support up to the limit of what is possible with the public budget, we support through the low prices of grains,» she noted. They threaten blockades in up to 20 states. The breakdown of dialogue revives the scenario of a possible «national mega-paralysis» during April. «We realized that when we arrived at the door, there were already public security elements, anti-riot police, as if we were criminals and we are not. We are producers seeking better conditions for Mexican agriculture,» said Horacio Gómez, president of the Front for the Rescue of Agriculture in Baja California, in a video. After four hours of remaining outside the Government building, the groups opted to withdraw, not before warning that they will resume their actions within the framework of the national strike they have maintained since last Monday.
