Riviera Maya Business Leaders Pin Hopes on Sheinbaum’s Sargassum Plan to Revive Economy

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Business leaders in the Riviera Maya say they are optimistic that President Claudia Sheinbaum’s comprehensive sargassum plan for Quintana Roo, announced last week, will help lift the region out of an economic downturn.

Ramón Cárdenas, head of the Riviera Maya Business Coordinating Council (CCE), said Wednesday that the business community welcomed the federal measures.

Cárdenas said the business sector had been calling for a comprehensive plan like this for years to deal with massive sargassum influxes.

“We were asking for it from all sides, everyone was asking for it, and unfortunately anyone who moved on a particular issue wasn’t going to achieve much beyond that,” he said.

Cárdenas said the sector now sees better coordination from the federal government to address the natural phenomenon. “I think this should move forward and be resolved,” he added.

He stressed that a key factor in the plan announced by Sheinbaum is the funding it will provide, since municipalities cannot tackle the problem on their own. “Now that the Navy is going to buy more sargassum vessels, where were you going to get that before?” he said.

Cárdenas also proposed that the government could later consider an agreement with the private sector to make better use of the sargassum.

Sheinbaum unveiled the comprehensive sargassum plan last Friday during her morning press conference in Tulum. The plan focuses on acquiring more sargassum-collecting vessels and barriers to boost seaweed capture at sea.