Sheinbaum announces expanded seed bank protection for Mexico’s 64 corn varieties

President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced the strengthening of germplasm or seed banks to further safeguard the genetic varieties of Mexican corn as part of her policy to protect a grain that is considered a national and cultural heritage. The federal initiative follows a recent constitutional reform that prohibits the planting of genetically modified corn in Mexico. The ban seeks to ensure that native varieties are not at risk of disappearing as a result of contamination from modified corn crops. A germplasm bank or seed bank is a repository where the seeds and hereditary material of plant varieties are preserved to protect their distinct genetic makeup. Sheinbaum’s plan is to fortify the existing corn germplasm bank system to safeguard all 64 varieties existing in Mexico, 59 of which are native. Those varieties of corn (or maize in English and maíz in Spanish) are considered vital to Mexico’s food security as well as its cultural identity. “For each variety of corn that exists ...