Posted: Tuesday, October 28, 2025. 2:42 pm CST.
By Zoila Palma: Thousands of farmers and ranchers from at least 20 Mexican states staged massive protests on Monday, blocking major highways and gathering in front of government buildings to demand immediate action on what they describe as a deepening agricultural crisis.
The demonstrations, which stretched from Guanajuato and Michoacán to Querétaro and Guerrero, were fueled by frustration over low crop prices and soaring production costs, which have left many producers on the brink of financial collapse.
According to data from the Agricultural Markets Consulting Group (GMCA), production costs have risen nearly 50% in the past five years, while the price of key grains like corn has dropped by as much as 50% since 2022.
El Pais reports that in Mexico City, hundreds of farmers gathered outside the National Palace, calling on President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo to intervene.
Protest leaders demanded that the government set a guaranteed price for corn at 7,200 pesos per ton, but after more than three hours of negotiations, no agreement was reached.
Farmers from Michoacán, Jalisco, and Guanajuato have since announced indefinite road blockades until their demands are met. The GMCA warned that agricultural profitability has plunged from over 50% in 2022 to just 12% in 2025, describing the situation as “a collapse in profitability” that threatens the livelihoods of thousands of rural families.
President Sheinbaum acknowledged the severity of the situation during her daily press briefing, noting that the global price of corn “fell a lot this year and is expected to decrease again next year.”
She attributed the decline in part to international market dynamics tied to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), explaining that corn prices in Mexico are linked to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. “When the price of corn falls so much, it obviously affects domestic producers,” Sheinbaum said, recalling that a ton of corn sold for more than 7,000 pesos at the height of the Ukraine war in 2022, compared to roughly 3,200 pesos today.
The GMCA report also cited unequal competition under the USMCA, where U.S. and Canadian farmers benefit from stronger government subsidies and supports. Mexico’s agricultural sector has further been hit by new trade tariffs, including a 17% duty on tomato exports to the U.S., reimposed in July by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Beyond the economic pressures, rural producers face mounting security challenges, including extortion and violence.
The recent murders of agricultural leaders Bernardo Bravo in Michoacán and Javier Vargas in Veracruz have heightened calls for the government to implement stronger security and protection measures to safeguard Mexico’s farmers and restore confidence in the agricultural sector.
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The post International News: Farmers across Mexico block highways in protest over plummeting crop prices appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Tuesday, October 28, 2025. 2:42 pm CST. By Zoila Palma: Thousands of farmers and ranchers from at least 20 Mexican states staged massive protests on
The post International News: Farmers across Mexico block highways in protest over plummeting crop prices appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
