Back To The 80’s : Mexico’s New Agricultural Plan
Mexico’s new president Claudia Sheinbaum has this week announced a new agriculture plan that may be set to take the country’s food production and distribution back to 1980’s trends.
The agriculture plan came just a day after Sheinbaum announced a “junk food” ban in schools that will start within six months.
Back in the 1980’s, meals in Mexico were largely dominated by tortillas, beans, instant coffee and hot chocolate, and the main focus of the new policy will be on increasing bean and corn production as the new president ramps up efforts to achieve “food sovereignty.”
Sheinbaum said about her new agricultural plan “It is about producing what we eat,” adding “It is much better to eat a bean taco than a bag of potato chips.”
The plan includes guaranteed prices for farmers who grow corn used for tortillas and lowering tortilla prices by 10%. It also focuses on replacing bean imports by boosting the country’s own bean production by about 30% in the next six years, and setting up research centres to supply higher-yielding bean seeds.
The Mexican government will also be supporting coffee production, but focusing on instant coffee, which is used by 84% of Mexican households. While cocoa production for powdered hot chocolate will also receive support, cocoa for confectionary products will not.
The challenge for the new president will be to change consumer habits, as the policy runs counter to current market food trends. However, if successful, the country will significantly improve its self-sufficiency and sustainability.
