Positive Aspirations for Mexico's New President
With California Ag Today, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.
Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum as their new president, and many ag leaders are hopeful that she and her administration will make decisions that benefit their ag trade relationship with the U.S…
Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, says that given Sheinbaum’s science background as a research engineer, he’s optimistic she’ll overturn the ban on imports of U.S. biotech white corn for human consumption and increase funding for preventative measures for harmful animal disease.
Most of all, he says the U.S. and Mexico must maintain their strong ag trade partnership…
“Oh, my goodness, yes! We still live in the best ‘neighborhood’ on the planet, with respect to our trade north to Canada and south to Mexico,” says McKinney. “We have to strengthen that. If there's ever a time to strengthen it, it's now. I also say that here in a year or so, we're going to have the first formal review of USMCA and that we don't want to have to go into that review with all kinds of problems.”
According to USDA, Mexico is set to be the number one ag export destination for the U.S.—and will spend an estimated $28.7 billion this year alone on U.S. ag products. Sheinbaum will become Mexico’s next president beginning Oct. 1.
