It’s been more than a year and a half since Mexico has approved any new genetically modified seed traits, and the country is showing no signs of relenting even though it remains “one of the world’s largest importers of GE corn and soy,” according to a new report from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.
That has made the regulatory policy of Mexico, one of the world’s largest importers of genetically modified soybeans and corn, “increasingly uncertain” under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. And Mexico’s recent anti-biotechnology stance, together with its refusal to allow glyphosate imports, is having a sharp effect on farmers, says FAS.
“With the rejection of all permit applications for seeds, cotton producers now have access to only a few outdated GE seed varieties that are not compatible in all growing areas,” says FAS. “The estimated area of GE cotton planted in Mexico was down 36 percent in 2020.”
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