Monsanto’s Greed Continues to Threaten 59 Indigenous Corn Varieties in Mexico
As recently as October of 2015, Monsanto stated that it planned to double its sales in Mexico. The biotech giant already made around $400 million in the country in 2015. This greed to conquer the Mexican maize market has caused the company to fight resistance and GMO corn bans initiated by citizens and government, though the company continues to put 59 unique, indigenous varieties of corn at risk. [1]
The world’s largest seed producer (largely achieved through lies, deceit, and monopolizing trade agreements with bought-out governments), Monsanto still awaits a final ruling on a GMO corn ban that was overturned by a Mexican judge in September of last year. A final decision is expected to end up in Mexico’s Supreme Court.
The XII District Court overturned a 2013 ruling that prevented biotech companies, including Monsanto and Syngenta, from planting genetically modified (GM) maize in Mexico, but Monsanto may still have its way. Another judge upheld the ban in the appeals process, but Monsanto isn’t done. The company has already made 100 appeals to the court to reverse the ban.
Why is the biotech company so yearning to get into Mexico? The corp claims it is to end farmer poverty, but likely it is nothing more than an attempt to monopolize the food system, as has been done in multiple other countries.
Monsanto is seeking 5 permits to grow GMO corn in 5 areas in northern Mexico, and touts that the bioengineered crop is a ticket out of poverty for small farmers since the crops purportedly result in higher yields and profits, the Financial Times reported.
“It’s incredible that we are not giving [small farmers] the option to cross the poverty line,” Monsanto’s chief executive for northern Latin America, Manuel Bravo told the publication.
Monsanto is known for suing farmers over second-generation GM seed use. This means that once the company gets its hands on Mexico’s 59 indigenous varieties of corn seed and obliterates them through cross-pollination and contamination, it will will then have ammo for legal battles over all of Mexico’s corn seed.
There is a reason that more than 90% of soybeans grown in the U.S. are now Monsanto GM varieties. Monsanto plans on doing the same with corn seed in Mexico. It is nothing more than a hostile takeover, but Mexico’s farmers continue to fight.
Sources:
[1] EcoWatch
