Initiative to Ban Outsourcing Meets Fierce Resistance

In a joint statement, the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry (CANACINTRA), the National Agricultural Council (CNA) and the Employers' Confederation of the Mexican Republic (COPARMEX) have expressed that they see President Lopez Obrador’s initiative to ban outsourcing as a threat to the creation and preservation of formal employment. They call for a frank and open dialogue on outsourcing, instead of a right out ban.

At his press conference on Wednesday, President López Obrador stated he would ask Congress to halt negotiations on outsourcing to ensure that representatives from the private sector would be able to have their concerns heard. His wish, he says, is to resolve the issue on the basis of dialogue.

Interested in more? Here are the week’s biggest agribusiness and food stories:

• This Tuesday, CCE’s Private Sector Studies Commission for Sustainable Development (CESPEDES), the National Association of Plastic Industries (ANIPAC) and the Plastic Bag Industrials (INBOLAST), along with other 11 agencies, presented their first report on the first year since the signing of the National Agreement for the New Plastic Economy in Mexico. This agreement was signed in late 2019 with the promise of implementing actions to reduce, recycle and reuse containers and packaging for a wide variety of products. According to the report, 45 percent of the companies that participated in the agreement now have or are affiliated with a post-consumer management plan, mainly for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), high and low-density polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE), expanded polystyrene (EPS), aluminum and cardboard. Meanwhile, 68 percent include recycled material in their containers and packaging.
• With overwhelming support from the members of the National Agriculture Council (CNA), Vicente Gómez Cobo formally registered his run for the presidency of the council this Wednesday. He has stated that he intends to maintain the core mission of CNA, which includes overseeing the challenges of production chains in the country and representing the primary producer organizations that comprise it.
• The General Law for the Regulation of Cannabis has been passed to the Chamber of Deputies for review. However, deputies have requested more time to debate the proposed law, pointing to 2021. While the Supreme Court of Justice has given until December 15 to approve it, the deadline has been extended in the past, El Economista reports.
• This week, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) announced an alliance with the International Center for Wheat and Maize Improvement (CIMMYT) to strengthen collaboration in the area of sustainable technologies. The Ministry pointed out that it already invests in CIMMYT projects in Mexico through MasAgro, which is a public agency that, among other things, conducts research to optimize the production systems of corn and wheat.
• Grupo Peñoles is planning to reactivate its operation at the Naica mine in Chihuahua. In 2015, the mine became severely flooded. The company has agreed to provide the water that it intends to pump out to local agriculture. The agreement marks a turn of events for the local communities, which suffered after the mine was forced to close.
• Last Friday, COLPOS signed a collaboration agreement with the Mexican Association of Seedbeds (AMSAC), which will seek to expand training of human resources and the distribution of knowledge in the area of scientific advances and best practices with respect to seeds.
• Last Friday, SADER and CNA announced they signed an agreement to promote food production, logistics and export activities. The National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA), a subsidiary of the Ministry, is going to exchange more technical and scientific information with the production sector and will establish training programs.