Decree to End Transgenic Maize and Glyphosate under Attack

On Dec. 31, 2020, the Mexican government issued a presidential decree that aims to end the use of transgenic maize and the herbicide glyphosate in the country by Jan. 31, 2024. As reported on MBN on Tuesday, the decree has been met with resistance from multiple groups in the agricultural landscape. Some oppose the ban on transgenic maize, while others are more critical of ending the use of glyphosate. Read why in this article.

Interested in more? These are the week’s biggest headlines in agribusiness & food!

• One company is aiming to turn the sargassum that washes up on to the beaches of Yucatan Peninsula into a fortune. Having developed and patented a method to convert it into biofertilizer, it could finally end what has been the cause of a major headache for the tourism industry in the area. At the moment, the company is in the middle of a fundraising round seeking more interested parties. Read our interview with CEO of Dianco Hector Romero Morales, here.

• The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), Víctor Villalobos, reported this Wednesday that his ministry is reviewing how to better connect research centers of the National Institutes of Forestry, Agricultural and Livestock Research (INIFAP), National Aquaculture and Fisheries (INAPESCA), National Seed Inspection and Certification agency (SNICS) and Colegio de Posgraduados (Colpos), among others, with the agriculture industry and its productive chains. The goal is to generate self-financing in research and greater participation of the private sector in the productive development of the country. In a press conference, he stated that the country has public goods, such as banks with genetic resources, which have the potential to increase production and sustainability.

• SADER also reported that its subsidiary National Service of Health, Safety and Food Quality (SENASICA) gave a virtual course to 51 individuals located in different states of the country on how to correctly apply pesticides. The workshop, called "Online Training on Good Use and Management of Pesticides" (BUMP) is part of an ongoing program that is being run by SENASICA.

• This week, new rules for the program Production for Well-Being were published on the Official Gazette of the Federation. Quotas for grain producers have been increased, and the ministry reports that cocoa farmers and beekeepers will be supported with MX$6,200 (US$309) per producer. Furthermore, small and medium-scale cocoa, honey and milk producers are expected to benefit from the Technical Accompaniment Strategy. The program is based on the National Development Plan 2019-2024 and the Sectorial Program for Agriculture and Rural Development 2020-2024.  Meanwhile, the ministry reported this week that international sales of Mexican honey reached 26,077 tons from January to November 2020. This is 3.3 percent higher than in the same period of 2019.

• On Jan. 1, 2021, the new minimum wage policy came into force, targeting the agricultural workers who earn the least. According to the resolution issued by the Council of Representatives of the National Minimum Wages Commission (CONASAMI), published on the Official Gazette of the Federation on Dec. 23, 2020, minimum wages will be increased by 15 percent. This is equal to MX$213.39 (US$10.65) per day for those working in the Free Zone of the Northern Border. For the rest of the country, the increase will make the minimum salary equal to MX$141.70 (US$7.07) per day. The ministry writes that this is going to benefit 4.5 million workers registered with IMSS. According to CONASAMI figures, they represent 22.85 percent of the total number of IMSS affiliates.

• Cattle farmers in Sonora have been suffering a devastating impact from droughts. El Sol de Hermosillo reports that so far, droughts have led to the death of 170,000 heads of cattle. In the Valle del Mayo, 30,000ha of land have been left unplanted for the new agricultural cycle.

• Ranchers in the state of Jalisco have petitioned the government to perform an audit of the subsidized milk seller LICONSA. Reportedly, they have not been paid fully for their milk product. They claim the organization is corrupt.

• According to the latest forecasts of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Mexico is going to produce 200,000 tons of frozen concentrated orange juice in the 2020-2021 season. This would be equivalent to a 122 percent increase from last year. A primary reason, the organization stated, is a rebound in the supply of fresh oranges from Veracruz.

• In its January edition of the Consumer Magazine, the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (PROFECO) reports that it analyzed 12 soluble coffee brands and seven brands mixed with sugars to detect adulteration with corn or chickpeas. Only the brands Golden Hills coffee and Golden Hills decaffeinated coffee are suspects of possible adulterations that exceed the prescribed norms.