President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, defended on Monday as a “transitory” measure against inflation the 50% tariff on white corn exportswhich is used for human consumption and to make tortillas, basic in the national diet.
“We are self-sufficient in white corn and that is why we do not want it to be exported in order to have enough white corn for domestic consumption”
“It is a measure that is being taken on a transitory basis because we have to stop inflation and we want only white corn to be used for human consumptionthat transgenic corn is not used”, declared the President in his “morning” press conference.
The President referred to the decree published last week in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF), which maintains the tariff for grain imports at zero but which increases from 0 to 50% that of exports until next June 30.
Specialists have questioned the measure, such as an analysis by the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO), which warned that “It will not contribute” to reducing inflation because production in Mexico already exceeds national demand.
Therefore, according to the IMCO, only the country’s competitiveness and its obligations in trade agreements such as the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC) are affected.
But López Obrador insisted that he must “guarantee that there is white corn” in Mexico.
“We are self-sufficient in white corn and that is why we do not want it to be exported in order to have enough white corn for domestic consumption,” he remarked.
The measure comes after the Mexican inflation rate reached 7.82% per year in December, the highest level for a year-end in 22 years and so far this century.
JM
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