Government-run “wellness stores,” modernized irrigation systems, and programs to expand production of beans, rice and white corn are among a slate of policies unveiled Tuesday by Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum.
Sheinbaum, who took office at the beginning of the month, rolled out a framework aimed at “guaranteeing self sufficiency.” The framework relies on four tenets: expanding production, using water more efficiently, utilizing more sustainable farming practices and improving well-being, particularly for those who are impoverished.
Under the plan, the Mexican government would operate stores stocked with cocoa, honey and coffee; create programs to encourage small- and medium-sized producers to grow beans, rice, white corn and other vegetables; and modernize irrigation infrastructure to expand agricultural production per cubic meter of water.
"It is about producing what we consume,” Sheinbaum said of the plan, according to a translated press release. She added that while current markets for products will continue to exist, the plan aims to provide “healthy food at good prices for Mexican families.”
The goal is to “promote self-sufficiency in foods such as beans, rice, and corn by producing these seeds in a certified manner and with the highest quality standards,” the release said.
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The framework includes a program aimed at expanding small- and medium-scale production of beans, corn, onions, tomatoes, chili, wheat, sorghum, rice, cocoa, coffee, and milk “in municipalities with high poverty rates.” It seeks to establish projects in 155,000 municipalities in the first 100 days of the program, according to the release.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the plan “aims to boost bean production by about 30% in six years to replace imports of beans.” It also would attempt to do the same for instant coffee, as well as for a lower-quality cocoa used for powdered baking and hot chocolate, the AP reported.
The plan also aims to prevent milk prices from rising through the construction of additional milk pasteurizing and drying plants, according to the press release.
Mexico is involved in a USMCA dispute with the U.S. over the country's ban on imports of genetically engnered white corn. A decision is expected next month.
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