December 20, 2022

Mexico targets GM corn agreement with the US next month

The Mexican foreign ministry said Mexico and the US aim to reach an agreement by January 2023 over an upcoming Mexican ban on genetically modified (GM) corn imports, Nasdaq reported.

The ministry said in a statement that discussions would go on while the parties attempted to come to a "mutual understanding" that would provide "legal certainty to all parties."

A contentious presidential decree in Mexico banned the herbicide glyphosate and GM corn banned starting in 2024.

Insisting that the decree will hurt American farmers, US officials have threatened to act in accordance with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Mexican officials have said that the decree focuses on corn for human consumption and that GM yellow corn for animal feed will be permitted. Mexico imports about 17 million tonnes of American corn annually.

Official changes to the decree, however, have not yet been made public by Mexican authorities.

-      Nasdaq