Led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, federal authorities and producer organizations signed the National Agreement on the Corn-Tortilla Chain yesterday, aiming to cut tortilla prices by 5% over the next six months and by 10% over the six-year term.
After the signing at the National Palace, Alejandro Habib, tortilla industry liaison for the Ministry of Economy, stressed the importance of collaboration among all stakeholders to stabilize and gradually lower prices nationwide.
Monthly evaluations will be conducted under the supervision of President Sheinbaum and Secretary of Agriculture Julio Berdegué. Each agency will work to lower the costs involved in tortilla production. Currently, prices are 35 pesos per kilogram ($2 USD) in some areas to 18 pesos ($1 USD) in others. In the metropolitan area, the average is about 22 pesos ($1.10 USD), while the national average is 23 pesos.
At her morning press conference, Sheinbaum stated that one goal is to reduce intermediaries between corn sellers and processors by establishing direct agreements. The agreement outlines actions by the Ministries of Agriculture, Economy, Labor, and Social Security, as well as the Federal Consumer Protection Agency, agricultural trust funds, and the Food for Well-being program.
Key measures include allocating up to 25,000 tons of white corn, collecting tortilla price data, releasing $26,400 USD in working capital financing, and training young people to enter the industry.
Sergio Muñoz, president of the Governing Council of the Traditional Mexican Tortilla, noted that federal authorities, three tortilla makers’ organizations, nixtamal producers, flour industry representatives, and corn producers from Sinaloa and Bajío signed the agreement. During the event, President Sheinbaum broke protocol by directly asking about industry challenges, which include unregulated informal trade, distribution guarantees, and security concerns.
Blanca Mejía Castillo, the council’s legal representative, said the next step is to create implementation models. She also mentioned that participating tortilla shops will display special logos, allowing consumers to identify and support shops offering fair prices.
The agreement will not affect small, family-run tortilla shops throughout the BCS region.