MEXICO CITY, MEXICO — A recent drought and limited irrigation is expected to impact Mexico’s corn production, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The USDA estimates Mexico’s corn production to be 27.8 million tonnes for the 2020-21 marketing year, a slight reduction from the previous forecast due to water availability. As of mid-December, water available for irrigation was approximately 271% below the level registered in 2019 at the national level.

Mexico is planning to phase out the use of both glyphosate and genetically modified corn for human consumption, according to a Dec. 31, 2020, decree. However, Mexico has not provided information on the definition of human consumption and what, if any, corn-derived products might be affected. The government also has not set a timeline for the implementation of these changes.

The USDA forecasts Mexico’s 2020-21 marketing year wheat production to total 2.9 million tonnes. There has been a shift away from producing durum-type wheat and an uptick in producing more bread wheat due to modifications to Mexico’s Guarantee Prices Program. It grants small and medium growers a guarantee price per tonne of bread wheat produced.

Mexico’s sorghum production for the 2020-21 marketing year is anticipated to total 4.6 million tonnes, according to the USDA’s latest forecast. Sorghum exports are expected to pick up as Mexico and China agreed on phytosanitary protocols in October 2020. It allows Mexico to export sorghum to China for human consumption. Sorghum export volumes to China could reach 50,000 tonnes to 100,000 tonnes by the 2021-22 marketing year, the USDA said citing private industry sources.