Will Mexico profit from the excessive “reciprocal tariffs” United States President Donald Trump imposed on imports from scores of nations around the globe?
Can Mexico obtain its bold food production goals?
President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the primary query at her Friday morning press convention whereas her agriculture minister thought of the second. Sheinbaum additionally revealed that she’s going to briefly go away the nation subsequent week.
Here’s a recap of the president’s ultimate mañanera of the week.
On commerce with US, Mexico is in ‘a greater place’ than different international locations
A reporter requested the president whether or not she believes Mexico will profit from the high “reciprocal” tariffs the United States has imposed on imports from various countries around the world.
Sheinbaum harassed that she doesn’t need Mexico to profit on the expense of different international locations, however successfully responded within the affirmative.
“We don’t want ailing to anybody, and we would like there to be prosperity in the complete world,” she stated.
Sheinbaum subsequently famous that Mexico can ship “all merchandise, except for vehicles, metal and aluminum,” to the US tariff-free if the merchandise adjust to the principles of the USMCA free commerce pact.
“Up till now, that’s the scenario,” she stated.
Even when a Mexican product faces the identical tariff as the identical good shipped to the US from Asia or Europe — as is the case with metal and aluminum — Mexico has a bonus as a result of “transport prices are decrease” resulting from its proximity to the U.S., Sheinbaum stated.
“What different benefit do now we have? Many merchandise that aren’t throughout the metal, aluminum and automotive [categories] proceed to have zero tariffs if exported underneath the United States-Mexico-Canada Settlement,” she stated
“Firms that need to spend money on Mexico [to sell their products] within the home market …and to export, have this [beneficial] attribute,” Sheinbaum stated.
“… So in that sense we’re in a greater place than different international locations on the earth, a minimum of in the intervening time,” she stated.
Mexico meals safety targets are ‘bold’ however achievable, says agriculture minister
Agriculture and Rural Growth Minister Julio Berdegué addressed Sheinbaum’s Friday morning press convention a day after the president announced 18 “programs and actions” associated to the Plan México financial initiative, together with one aimed toward rising meals sovereignty and self-sufficiency.
He stated that the home manufacturing targets for corn, beans, milk and rice that Sheinbaum outlined on Thursday are “bold, however doable to attain as a result of we’re going to do issues nicely.”
The targets — as cited by the president on Thursday — are as follows:
- Improve annual manufacturing of corn to 25 million tonnes by 2030, a 17% enhance over present ranges.
- Improve annual manufacturing of beans to 1.2 million tonnes by 2030, a 64% enhance over present ranges.
- Improve annual manufacturing of rice to 450,000 tonnes by 2030, a 103% enhance over present ranges.
- Improve annual manufacturing of milk to fifteen billion liters by 2030, a 15% enhance over present ranges.
Berdegué stated that the federal government has “numerous packages” to help the achievement of the targets.
By way of the packages, together with the brand new Coseschando Soberanía (Harvesting Sovereignty) scheme, farmers will obtain a variety of presidency help, together with the availability of high-quality seeds and fertilizers, entry to loans and help to make use of new agricultural applied sciences.
Berdegué stated that the federal government will spend nearly 54 billion pesos (US $2.64 billion) this yr on the completely different packages that help progress towards the attainment of the 2030 meals manufacturing targets.
Sheinbaum to go to CELAC summit in Honduras … however just for 2 hours
Sheinbaum confirmed she would attend the summit of the Neighborhood of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, subsequent Wednesday.
Will probably be her second worldwide journey since taking workplace in October. Her first was to Brazil for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro in November. She flew commercial to Rio via Panama — and in economic system class, no much less.
Sheinbaum advised reporters that she’s going to solely spend a short while in Honduras, the place her fellow leftist chief, President Xiomara Castro, has been in workplace since early 2022.
“I received’t be capable to keep the entire time. We’re trying on the schedule to see if I could make it to the inauguration on April 9,” she stated.
Sheinbaum stated she can be in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, for “round two hours or one thing like that” as a way to be with “Presidenta Xiomara and President Petro [of Colombia] who’s assuming the president of CELAC, and different presidentes and presidentas of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
She indicated that Castro satisfied her to attend the summit, describing the Honduran president as “very persuasive.”
“As you understand now we have a number of work right here, however we’re going to go for 2 hours, roughly,” Sheinbaum stated.
She stated she wouldn’t take a business flight resulting from time constraints.
“In actual fact, to Tegucigalpa there are solely flights with stopovers so we wouldn’t have the time. So we’re going to go in a Ministry of Nationwide Protection aircraft,” the president stated.
Not like many heads of state, Sheinbaum doesn’t have a presidential aircraft at her disposal.
Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador sold Mexico’s presidential jet — which he by no means used — to the federal government of Tajikistan in 2023.
By Mexico Information Every day chief workers author Peter Davies ([email protected])
