Mexican wheat farmers sign national agreement

Representatives from national wheat farmers’ committees all signed a national agreement for wheat provisioning on 23 July 2008 at the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture (SAGARPA) facilities. The Secretary of Agriculture, Alberto Cárdenas, and a representative from the Economic Ministry also signed the agreement as witnesses.

This agreement confirms farmers’ willingness to reorganize and manage wheat production in Mexico, with the objective of increasing production and producing wheat that meets market demands.

During their speeches, Cárdenas and José Manuel Hernández López, a non-governmental representative from the National Committee for Wheat Production, stressed the importance of research and products developed by CIMMYT for the advancement of producers of basic foodstuffs in Mexico.

After the signing ceremony, Cárdenas along with others headed a tour of SAGARPA’s esplanade and learned about CIMMYT’s work in conservation agriculture through Fernando Delgado, Toluca Station Superintendent. Roberto Javier Peña, Head of the El Batán Cereal Quality Laboratory, also spoke to Cárdenas about wheat improvement and CIMMYT’s partnership with the Mexican Institute of Forestry, Agriculture, and Livestock Research (INIFAP). María Teresa Rodríguez, Program Coordinator, Global Wheat Program, set up and ran CIMMYT’s display, along with Delgado and Peña.

The tour ended at INIFAP’s stand, which showed various modern wheat varieties, the majority of which originated from wheat germplasm developed by CIMMYT.