Following years of fierce debate here, federal authorities have issued the first permits for experimental plantings of transgenic corn in Mexico, where maize is believed to have been domesticated more than 7,000 years ago. In successive announcements this month, the Secretariat of Agriculture, Ranching, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (Sagarpa) and the Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat (Semarnat) said they approved 17 requests to carry out experimental transgenic-corn plantings in three northern states. The agencies disclosed on Oct. 21 that nine permits went to Monsanto Mexico and six to Dow AgroScience/PHI Mexico. On Oct. 15, they announced the first two permits had been issued, but did not identify the recipient. The agencies have not said when they’ll rule on the remaining 18 requests... [Log in to read more]
