By Adriana Barrera and Cassandra Garrison, Reuters
MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s incoming government will discard a core goal of outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to reduce imports of yellow corn and achieve self-sufficiency in production of the grain, according to the incoming agriculture minister.
Julio Berdegue, named to President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum’s cabinet, told Reuters Mexico will focus on maintaining self-sufficiency in white corn, which is commonly used in the country’s staple tortilla.
Sheinbaum also has an “aspirational goal” to reduce deforestation linked to the agriculture sector by half by the end of her six-year term, Berdegue said in an interview on Friday.
“It is a very ambitious goal, but I believe that we can (do it),” he said, citing estimates that deforestation, which is commonly caused by land clearing for lucrative avocado and livestock production, is wiping out an average of about 200,000 hectares per year.
Under the administration of Lopez Obrador, Sheinbaum’s mentor, Mexico aimed to dramatically reduce imports of yellow corn, most often originating from the U.S., in favor of boosting local production. The government, however, failed to reduce about $6 billion in yellow corn imports annually during his tenure.
The policy originated from Lopez Obrador’s attempts to limit the use of genetically-modified (GM) corn, a position that sparked an ongoing trade dispute with the U.S., by far Mexico’s largest commercial partner.
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