Overview
- President Claudia Sheinbaum unveiled the Plan Nacional del Maíz Nativo, branded “El Maíz es la Raíz,” to conserve, produce, transform and market native Mexican maize.
- The rollout begins in 2026 across Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guerrero, Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo and Tabasco, covering 437 municipalities and about 677,000 producer families.
- The government targets national coverage by 2030 reaching roughly 1.5 million small producers in 872 municipalities across 29 states.
- Core components include the Milpateca shared-light-machinery model, free fertilizer, agronomic training, and collective ownership and maintenance of equipment.
- The plan promotes local value addition and direct sales through cooperatives and community tortillerías led by women, and it forms ‘comunidades milperas’ with support from Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro; reported yield goals vary between 20% and up to 50% by 2030.