The Biden administration is studying potential resolutions to the growing dispute over GMO corn exports between the United States and Mexico. On Wednesday, officials from the Biden administration refused to offer any further details other than they were studying potential resolutions. However, Mexico’s agriculture minister Victor Villalobos said that an informal agreement had already been reached between the two countries. According to Villalobos, U.S. officials were satisfied with a proposal to delay the ban on the import of GMO corn until 2025.
Mexico is one of the biggest customers for U.S. corn, and almost all of the corn grown in the United States is genetically modified. In late 2020, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador signed a decree to end imports of GMO corn by 2024. In preparation for a U.S.-Mexico meeting last week, López Obrador reportedly offered to wait until 2025 to ban imports of yellow corn, which makes up the lion’s share of U.S. corn shipments. White corn is used in making tortillas, a popular food item in Mexico.
The US and Mexico have been in negotiations for months to try and find a resolution to the dispute. However, a consensus has yet to be reached. President Biden and his administration have been a vocal advocate for the use of GMOs, and have called for an international consensus for the use of GMO crops. In Mexico, the government has called for the ban of these crops, citing concerns about the potential risks they could pose to the environment and human health.
It is unclear what the resolution of this dispute will be, as the two countries have yet to reach an agreement. However, both countries have shown a willingness to negotiate and come to a consensus that is beneficial to both sides. As the negotiations continue, it will be interesting to see how the Biden administration and the Mexican government will be able to resolve their differences and come to a resolution on GMO corn exports.
