US Grain Exports to Mexico May Get Tougher

Exporting US grains to Mexico may be getting tougher. In 2018 the Mexican administration put forth a decree that could negatively affect US exports in the near future.

Kevin Diehl, Director of Global Regulatory Affairs with Corteva, explains, “There is a focus with that decree, on moving away from crops that contain glyphosate traits or have had that product used on it by 2024.”

Diehl says it’s an issue that needs attention to continue the Mexico-U.S. trading partnership.

“You look at how big a trading partner Mexico is for a U.S. farmer, about 5 percent of the U.S. corn crop goes to Mexico. They’re a very important trading partner and they have been for a long time.”

Diehl says it’s important for farmers and policymakers alike to advocate for U. S. agriculture policy.

“It’s all about advocacy and having the conversations… there are mechanisms in place with the government’s working back and forth and some of those discussions are starting to happen, and it’s important for the U.S. government to continue to be engaged, and I think they will be; but looking at 2024, it’s coming up very quickly, and so we need to look at all the options on the table to make sure that as we get to that point that it’s a non-issue.”

For Corteva, Diehl says regulatory policies need to be data driven and science based for U.S. farmers to continue using innovative technologies while preserving trade partners.

“We want to bring new technology to the U.S. farmer and in order to do that we need solid, predictable, science-based regulatory systems to move through, and move those products through, to get approvals.”