Road Blockades Set for 20 Mexican States on Monday

Mexico City – Farmer and transporter organizations have announced a day of nationwide road blockades scheduled for Monday, November 24. The protest, which will take place simultaneously in at least 20 states, will include the main access routes to Mexico City and several key highways.

The convening groups, such as the National Front for the Rescue of the Mexican Countryside (FNRCM), the Peasant Agricultural Movement (MAC), and the National Association of Transporters (ANTAC), aim to pressure the federal government to address various demands.

The goal of the blockades is to demand better conditions for the Mexican countryside, a review of guaranteed prices, payment of debts, and greater security on the roads. Additionally, transporters are calling for the elimination of fees and practices they consider abusive. The highways that will be under protest include Mexico-Toluca, Mexico-Querétaro, Mexico-Pachuca, Mexico-Puebla, and Mexico-Cuernavaca-Acapulco, among others.

Blockades are also expected on the main roads of states such as San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Veracruz, Jalisco, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Yucatán, Baja California, Colima, Sonora, and Tamaulipas, as well as in Mexico City.

The blockades could extend to the border crossings in the north, which would affect the flow of goods to the United States. In response to this situation, the Confederation of Industrial Chambers of Mexico (Concamin) has recommended that transport companies activate contingency plans, such as scheduling alternative routes and advancing or delaying shipments.

The alerts also warn of the possibility of temporary camps and agricultural caravans being set up, as well as the closure of toll booths, including at points connecting with the Sun Highway to Guerrero.

Despite the massive support from organizations like ANTAC, the call for blockades does not have the backing of other sector chambers, such as the National Chamber of Freight Transport (Canacar), which has rejected the protest.

The National Confederation of Mexican Transporters (Conatram) has also chosen not to join the blockades, although it has participated in similar mobilizations in the past to demand greater security on the roads.

The call arises after the failure of negotiations between the leaders of the convening organizations and representatives of the federal government. Transporters are demanding more effective actions to stop assaults and extortion committed by criminal groups on the roads, while farmer leaders are calling for greater support for the production, marketing, and distribution of food, similar to the support received by corn producers regarding guaranteed prices.

Monday’s day of protests promises to be one of the largest of the year, and federal authorities are preparing to confront the blockades and prevent greater disruptions in national transport and commerce.