Calling U.S. Anti-NAFTA Bluff, Mexico Is Looking to Get Its Corn from Elsewhere Chase Purdy - Quartz
go to original March 27, 2017

Mexico looks outside of U.S. for its corn supply (CGTN America)

US president Donald Trump’s threats to upend existing free-trade agreements so far amount to bluster, but that’s not stopping Mexico from taking steps to protect itself.

In a move to safeguard his country’s national interests, Mexican deputy economy minister Juan Carlos Baker confirmed to the Financial Times over the weekend that his country is in talks with Argentina and Brazil to create duty-free relationships for corn imports.

Mexico currently gets about 98% of its corn from the US. If those arrangements materialize, it will hit US farmers - the very people that Trump often says he’s protecting from bad trade deals.



US corn shipments to Mexico account for more than $2.5 billion in business for American farmers, who’ve enjoyed a lucrative, duty-free relationship with their southern neighbors since the adoption of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994.

The future of that cross-border relationship now hangs in the balance. Trump ascended into public office on promises that included renegotiating NAFTA, which he has described as “the worst trade deal maybe ever signed, anywhere.” Whether Trump actually gets around to addressing NAFTA in a substantive way remains to be seen.

...The Mexican economic minister told the FT that talks with Brazil are “pretty far advanced,” with Argentina “a few steps behind,” adding that he has a scheduled trip to Argentina later in the next several months. Read the rest at Quartz

Related: Mexican Peso, Stocks Are Strong Performers in March Thanks to Trump Trade Unwind (CNBC)

Related: Senator Proposes Bill to Ban Mexico from Buying Corn from the U.S. (Everything Lubbock)

Related: Corn War? U.S. Farmers Say Mexico Needs American Corn Fox Business)

Related: Mexican Senator Aims to Hit U.S. for Trump's 'Big Lie' on NAFTA (CNNMoney)

Related: Buyer's Remorse: Farmers Who Supported Trump Fear Economic Ruin (teleSUR)

Related: What People Get Wrong When They Talk About NAFTA (MarketPlace)

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!