Mexico imposes heavy duty on white corn imports

The Mexican government has imposed a 50% import duty on white corn, protecting its own producers from imports and trying to prevent the use of genetically modified grain in food. This is reported by the Grain On-Line agency with reference to the Reuters agency.

Last year, in an effort to ease inflationary pressures, Mexican authorities began to remove import duties on 21 essential goods. In January 2023, white corn, a staple of the Mexican diet, was added to this list. Its export was subject to a 50% duty.

On June 23, the government said the removal of the import duty on white corn had "no significant impact" on prices, given that Mexico is self-sufficient in the crop.

Mexico produced nearly 23 million tonnes of white corn last year and imported just 614,000 tonnes between January and October 2022, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Only a small part of the crop is exported.

The decision to reinstate the import duty on corn follows a pledge by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to ban GM corn and phase out the herbicide glyphosate by 2024.

The US and Canada said it was a violation of trade laws.

Last week, the Mexican president hinted at reinstating tariffs on corn as part of a decree ensuring that "tortillas are made only from white and non-transgenic corn."

The decree states that the duty will be valid until December 31.

The elimination of other import duties remains in place, and inflation is starting to slow down.