Prohibiting GM Seeds Will Affect Mexican Cotton Production

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Mexico’s cotton production from 2023 to 2024 would be severely affected by the ban on genetically modified (GM) cotton seeds. José Luis Flores, Coahuila’s Minister of Rural Development, warned that these measures will increase the price of cotton.

Since 2019, the Mexican government has not approved any new GM cotton permits and gradually restricted glyphosate imports under President López Obrador’s decree to eliminate the use of the herbicide by 2024.

The USDA stated that obsolete varieties of GM cotton seeds are imported from the US. “This lack of access to quality GM seeds will begin to have more drastic effects for the 2023 and 2024 season, particularly in Tamaulipas, where the only varieties allowed by the Mexican government are no longer produced," the USDA said.

Flores pointed out that the prohibition on GMOs and glyphosate will increase the prices of cotton production by between 30 and 40 percent, making it no longer profitable. “Glyphosate helps producers save time, energy and money… Seeds that are adaptable to water stress are required. Previously, four waterings per cycle were needed, with GM seeds waterings can be reduced to one or two depending on the weather.”

During 2022, Mexican farmers expanded their operations due to expectations of strong global demand, good prices and drought conditions favoring cotton, which requires less water than other crops. However, despite this advance, the USDA stressed that yields remain limited as a result of poor access to innovative seed technology and increased input costs.

For the period from 2022 to 2023, the USDA predicts a sown area of 203,833ha, led by the state of Chihuahua with 153,349ha. Furthermore, the production of the commercial campaign for this period is expected to reach 1.46 million cotton bales.

Cotton sales are expected to stand at 2 million bales in that period, which represents 5 percent less than in the previous forecast carried out in August 2022. The department said this was because of the slow growth in domestic and global demand.

The Mexican textile market has been significantly affected by inflation. Moreover, Manuel Espinosa, President of the National Chamber of Textile Industry stated that the conditions surrounding the cotton market have forced the industry to import foreign cotton. "We are dying to consume Mexican cotton but we cannot because of the decisions being made by the government. We do not want to import; we have the possibilities but we need government support," Espinosa said.