Farmers to March in Mexico City Over Unresolved Agricultural Issues
Mexico City, May 14 – Faced with persistent problems in the commercialization of basic grains, which leads to losses due to production costs, difficulties in collecting government support, and alleged “repression” against producers, members of the National Front for the Rescue of the Mexican Countryside (FNRCM) have announced a march for next Wednesday, May 20th, in the nation’s capital.
Producers, hailing from states including Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Tlaxcala, Morelos, and Guerrero, will begin their march at the Angel of Independence. They plan to make stops at various government offices, including the Senate, the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), and the Ministry of Interior (Segob), to deliver their demands.
Unfulfilled Agreements and Mounting Losses
At the end of last year, producers engaged in various mobilizations and protests at Segob and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader), alongside the National Association of Transporters in Mexico (Antac). These actions included road closures across the country and led to negotiation tables with both ministries aimed at improving commercialization, establishing guarantee prices for all products, developing a development bank for the agricultural sector, removing basic grains from the T-MEC trade agreement, and ensuring road safety.
“The agreements you saw made around December have not been resolved at all,” stated Eraclio Rodríguez, a leader of the Front in Chihuahua, during a press conference in front of the Monument to the Revolution.
Rodríguez emphasized that the problem of grain purchasing is constant. “The real price currently being paid in Sinaloa is around 5,100 pesos per ton of corn, when we have production costs at this moment above 80,000 pesos per hectare. That is, the production cost should be, the ton should be paid at 8,500 pesos.”
He added that the same situation applies to other grains, such as beans, where the cost should be 24,000 pesos per ton, not 16,000, as is being paid under the new operating rules.
Planned Protests and Legal Action
To ensure their voices are heard, the FNRCM will “mobilize again with our Antac compañeros.”
Rodríguez also warned that during this march, the Front would preview actions planned for the upcoming World Cup. He did not rule out protests in the vicinity of the airports of the three host cities in Mexico days before the inauguration.
Furthermore, Rodríguez announced that they would file a lawsuit and seek political judgment against the Secretary of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, whom they consider “responsible” for the import of large quantities of basic grains and other products.
“Imports at dumping prices, the one who has the obligation and who represents Mexico before the Free Trade Agreement is the Ministry of Economy,” he asserted.
Regarding the demonstrations in Zacatecas by bean producers, the FNRCM declared them understandable. They highlighted that the current policy is not equitable for all bean farmers, with some producers receiving 27,000 pesos per ton, others 16,000 pesos, and some receiving no purchases at all.
Uncertainty with New Sader Secretary
The producers mentioned that they have not yet met with the new Sader Secretary, Columba López, despite having requested a meeting. They expressed uncertainty about the extent to which the new secretary can resolve the problems facing the Mexican countryside, given that her specialty is small-scale agriculture, known as milpa, and “not that which feeds an entire country and, furthermore, exports.”
