Cotton production in Mexico plummets 33% due to seed shortage

Published 2022년 1월 6일

Tridge summary

Mexico has seen a significant decrease in cotton production, with a 33% drop from 2018-2019, totaling 1.2 million bales (261,000 tons) in the 2020-2021 marketing season. This decline is primarily due to a seed shortage, exacerbated by the Mexican government's delay or rejection of new permits for genetically modified (GMO) cotton seeds since 2019. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) highlights that Mexico's lack of approval for biotech food or feed products since May 2018 and concerns about GMO cotton interbreeding with wild varieties in the south have contributed to the problem. As a result, Mexican farmers are planting outdated and incompatible cottonseed varieties, leading to lower quality and increased production costs. Additionally, the seed trade has seen a dramatic decrease of 86% from the previous year, with only 40% of the seeds used being imported from the United States.

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Original content

ROBERTO MORALES. THE ECONOMIST. This textile fiber is the only commercially produced GMO crop in the country, but growers have faced a seed shortage since 2019 as the Mexican government continues to reject or delay new permits, the US Department of Agriculture reported. Cotton production in Mexico has plummeted 33% from its all-time high in 2018-2019, to 1 million 201,000 bales (261,000 tons), noted the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Mexico has not reported any official approval of biotech food or feed products since May 2018. Furthermore, Mexico has rejected or delayed all permit applications for the cultivation of transgenic cotton in 2019, citing the precautionary principle. “Cotton is the only transgenic crop planted in Mexico, and although production reached a record in the 2018/2019 marketing season, the lack of updated seed availability along with additional challenges in the sector has significantly reduced production (approximately a reduction 33%) and ...

Source: Inforural