Rural Protests Bring Response From Mexican President Fox

Various reports from Mexico in recent weeks further confirm what many in AAM have said all along about NAFTA: It would do serious harm not only to us and Canadian farmers, but also to farmers in Mexico who, like us, were told NAFTA would bring them great benefits.

An Associated Press report from Mexico City last month quoted President Vicente Fox telling protesting Mexican campecinos that “the countryside was never a priority” for his predecessors. Full page advertisements in newspapers across Mexico were used by the Fox administration, the report continued to announce eight public hearings for debate on Mexican farm policy.

The report also told that Mexican farm groups and many congressmen there blame alarming and growing levels of rural poverty “on increasing imports under NAFTA.” It said many farmers there “complain about the steady reduction of tariffs on the products that are most crucial for many Mexicans: corn, beans and sugar” and added: “Under NAFTA tariffs on those products are being reduced yearly and are to reach zero on January 1, 2008.”

All this followed protests in January in various parts of the country that even included one in Mexico City where a campesino reportedly rode horseback into the national legislative chambers. Also, there were threats to block bridges at the U.S.—Mexico border.

Meanwhile, such establishment U.S. Farm publications as National Hog Farmer quoted, in February, the president of the National Pork Producers Council here denying Mexican farm leaders’ charges of U.S. dumping on Mexican markets. He said: “U.S. pork is not being dumped into Mexico… Mexican pork producers, who have benefited significantly since NAFTA was signed...are not satisfied with the current treaty and are currently disrupting Mexican commerce with protests and other measures aimed at further restrictions on American agriculture.”

The same article said Mexico is now the second largest export market for U.S. pork with 210,000 tons of pork valued at $270 million shipped to Mexico in 2001. And a dairy association newsletter here trumpeted in January:
“Last year, Mexico’s annual dairy consumption totaled more than 30 billion pounds, but its domestic milk production reached only about 21.3 billion pounds—a 30% shortfall… Mexican consumers have proven that they have a growing appetite for a variety of U.S. dairy products.”

At least, President Fox has seen that previous Mexican presidents failed to make the countryside “a priority” and has opened a national debate on farm policy. When might we hope for the same from President Bush?