A December 31st 2020 decree published in the Diario De La Federacion banned the importation of genetically modified corn for human consumption. The decree was noted in the USDA-FAS GAIN Report MX 2021-004 released on January 14th. There is uncertainty over the exact definition of ‘human consumption’. Mexico imports yellow corn from the U.S. to be used mainly for livestock feeding and industrial applications. The decree has created considerable concern in the agribusiness sector. 

According to the GAIN report, Mexico will harvest 27.8 million metric tons of mainly white and completely non-GM corn for the 2020/2021 season with an average yield of 149 bushels per acre. Mexico will import 16.5 million metric tons of corn or 35 percent of total supply. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (“Amlo”) is firmly opposed to GM technology and issued the edict in an autocratic manner without considering the consequences or advancing an alternative program of supply.  Jose Cacho President of the Mexican Corn Industry Chamber considers the decree as "completely diverse from reality"