Globalization: Mexico oks pilot field of genetically modified corn | Reuters

Ancient, campesino (rural) Mexico (now mostly in the south) comes into conflict with globalized Mexico (mostly in the north, at the U.S. frontier).

Mexico oks pilot field of genetically modified corn | Reuters: "Mexico on Tuesday approved the first pilot program to plant genetically modified corn, a sensitive topic in the country that touts itself as the birthplace of corn and where small farmers worry the high-tech grain may contaminate native varieties.

The Agriculture Ministry granted a permit to global biotech seed maker Monsanto to plant no more than 2.47 acres (1 hectare) with genetically modified corn in the northern state of Tamaulipas.

Large commercial farmers in the north say GM corn will help them compete with imports from the United States where the bulk of corn is genetically engineered. GM corn can be higher yielding and more disease resistant.

But small, subsistence farmers in southern Mexico worry the biotech crops will threaten native varieties like red, blue and multicolored corn. Corn, first planted in Mexico as many as 9,000 years ago, was worshiped as a deity and later spread by Spanish conquerors to the rest of the world.

Mexico imported some 7.2 million tonnes of U.S. yellow corn last year for animal feed and produces mostly white corn to make corn tortillas, the country's staple food.

"It is necessary to advance the use of biotechnology to reduce imports and promote national production," the ministry statement said. ...

Currently there are around 170 acres (70 hectares) planted with GM corn in small experimental fields the northern corn growing states of Sinaloa, Sonora, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Durango, the ministry said."