Food vs. fuel – Mexico’s corn dilemma

Last week we posted on how Brazil’s sugar industry is trying to keep up with skyrocketing demand caused by the use of biofuels like ethanol domestically and abroad. Blogger kottke provided his slant on biofuels by looking at the future of corn in Mexico. Small Mexican corn farmers who had been hurt in recent years by ceding most of the market to cheap U.S. corn now faces a lifeline with the increased demand for ethanol north of the border. Yet corn remains a staple of the Mexican diet and traditional customs; hence the dilemma arises over what is more important for corn farmers: “Americans who want to fill their gas tanks and Mexicans who want to feed their children”. Kottke believes that in the end farmers will opt to quench the demand for biofuels. What do you think?

Image- BBC News

Links- kottke.org (blog), The Latin Americanist (blog)

Tags- Mexico, agriculture, corn, biofuel, free trade