Mexico’s proposed GM corn ban, expected to take effect in 2024, has the potential to increase the country’s food insecurity, add $4.4 billion to its corn import costs, and impose fundamental and costly changes on the U.S. and Canadian farming and grain handling sectors, according to a report published by World Perspectives, Inc., and commissioned by CropLife America.
Chris Edgington, Iowa corn farmer and president of the National Corn Growers Association, says farmers are already seeing a slowed approval of biotech traits in Mexico. Some companies are reluctant to push unapproved traits in Mexico if the country could potentially turn product away if it’s mistakenly mixed with approved traits.
Logistically, the U.S. is Mexico’s prime supplier of corn, however, they aren’t adopting biotechnology traits widely needed and accepted by U.S. farmers. Edgington explains if Mexico only allows the import of GM traits they’re currently accepting, within a few years those traits will no longer be on the market and Mexico may not have any approved corn events available to import.
…
But at the end of the day, this still lies in the hands of Mexico’s President AMLO. A regulatory change will be required to allow additional traits to continue to be available to U.S. farmers as well as prevent the stop of flow of yellow corn to Mexico. If no action is taken, the end result will not be pretty.
