Sheinbaum’s Plan to Rescue Mexico’s Native Corn

Mexico City — President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo presented the program "El maíz es la raíz" on Thursday, a national strategy focused on conserving and increasing the production of native corn. The plan will benefit 1.5 million small-scale producers, mostly ejidatarios and communal farmers, who will receive technical support, community-use machinery, and advice for commercializing their production surplus through value-added cooperatives.

María Luisa Albores González, director general of Alimentación para el Bienestar, stated that the program represents a recognition for those who have worked this crop for years "and have served as guardians of native corn varieties," as she presented the plan.

At the National Palace, where samples of native corn were displayed, Sheinbaum explained that there are approximately 1.5 million small-scale producers in Mexico who own one or two hectares where they have historically planted the milpa, composed of corn, squash, and beans, often for self-consumption.

She indicated that several producers no longer shell the corn for the next harvest, but instead buy seeds, so the objective is to preserve the traditional practice. To achieve this, technical support will be provided and the use of machinery appropriate for each region will be promoted, since "not all terrains need large tractors," but rather light equipment for collective use, with one unit for every ten producers.

She added that, currently, the surplus is sold to intermediaries, so the new goal is to add value to obtain a better price. With the support of the National Institute of the Social Economy, the creation of cooperatives dedicated to producing totopos, tostadas, or tortillas with a native corn seal will be encouraged.

For her part, Albores González stated that during the neoliberal era, corn, especially native corn, was relegated. Regarding the National Plan for Native Corn, she explained that its purpose is to promote the conservation, production, transformation, and commercialization of Mexican corn, strengthening community agro-food systems through the exchange of knowledge and the generation of added value.

The plan will be implemented in stages across eight regions of the country. It will begin in 2026 in the southeast and the South Pacific, subsequently extending to the rest of the territory.

For 2026, the goal encompasses seven states, 677,000 producers, and 437 municipalities, with a projected 20 percent increase in native corn production. By 2030, the objective is to reach 1.4 million producers and achieve a 50 percent increase in production.

Albores emphasized that collective access to tools and light machinery will be promoted, which will strengthen the autonomy and technological sovereignty of communities.

The official explained that "the limitation of native corn has not been genetic, but agronomic," so its production could triple through technical support and generational renewal.

Concurrently, the strategy for collection, transformation, and commercialization will allow the surplus to be sold not as grain, but as products with added value. "A tortilla made from native corn is richer in nutrients and flavor," she underscored.