Mexico: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual

Mexico has not officially reported any approvals for genetically engineered (GE) agricultural products for food and feed use since May 2018. Additionally, Mexico has not approved any permit applications for cultivation of GE crop (cotton and alfalfa) since 2019, citing the precautionary principle. Cotton is the only GE crop planted in Mexico, and while production reached a record in marketing year (MY) 2018/2019, the lack of updated seed availability and other challenges have significantly reduced production and quality. On January 1, 2021, a Mexican presidential decree entered into force under which existing authorizations for biotech corn will be revoked and new authorizations prohibited until biotech corn is completely phased out by January 31, 2024. In 2021, Mexico’s imports of GE corn and soybeans were valued at approximately U.S. $5 billion and U.S. $3 billion, respectively, with supplies mainly from the United States.