In February, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador signed a decree banning purchase, use, distribution, import and promotion of GMO corn for human consumption, even though he left open the chance of using it for other purposes, but Washington opposes the decree.

The United States is maddeningly seeking to benefit its corn producers with overproduction of what in Mexico it is called synthetic corn, so the best way is to use it in tortillas, hot tamales and boiled corn.

Although we produce too much Grasses (Poaceae), it is not enough for 127 million inhabitants and the more than 40 million tourists that also enjoy corn in restaurants and streets.

The United States Trade Representative, Katherine Tai, requested to start a dispute in the T-MEC, to face Mexico’s sovereign decision.

The Government is getting ready to face such a challenge and even to go to the undesired limit of having the controversy go to a panel of the agreement sought-after by the United States where, according to their belief, they have more advantages to win.

There is a strong controversy with Washington that repeatedly expresses its rejection of Mexico’s biotechnology policies and threatens to disrupt U.S. exports to Mexico.

Based on this criterion, the U.S. Trade Representative announced on Saturday that she had requested consultations under the T-MEC dispute resolution framework because of Mexico’s ban, which was joined by Canada, the other partner in the trilateral agreement. Tai had already requested technical consultations in March.

64 Republican congressmen who represent large agricultural producers revealed their real fears by admitting that whether the United States stops disputing, Mexican policies of rejecting GMO corn could be repeated in other areas of the continent that consume it.

A lack of action would create a dangerous precedent that promises under trade agreements by extension can be ignored.

pll/lam/lma