During 2020, cotton production fell, since one million bales were produced, 500 thousand less than in other years. 35 percent of the area was stopped sowing due to the lack of seeds, said Raúl Treviño, president of the cotton production system.
In a videoconference, he explained that transgenic cotton seeds have a validity of 5 to 7 years, one hundred percent of the cultivation in Mexico is made with them, and they must be renewed because new grains come, with which it can be raised by 37 percent current production.
He warned that “desperate producers can import the seeds illegally, thereby eliminating the traceability of genetically modified organisms.”
He recalled that since 1995 the country began to sow genetically modified seeds, which increased the yield since it went from three bales per hectare to seven. He added that now there are not enough seeds to plant the 250 thousand hectares that are dedicated to cotton cultivation in the country and only Chihuahua produces one million bales.
He stressed that the international market for organic cotton products is small, but conventional seeds could be sown to enter it. He ruled out that it is feasible to sow this type of seeds in the sector, “we would leave the market. 6 million wages would be lost, 13 billion pesos generated by cotton. To stop sowing overnight would go against advances in technology ”.
For his part, Manuel Espinosa Maurer, president of the National Chamber of the Textile Industry, said that two out of three garments that are consumed in the country are illegal. He said that 50 percent of the cotton used in the country comes from imports, more than 90 percent from the United States, and in the country productivity must be increased. He explained that there are garments that enter with prices below their value.
When talking about the program from the Field to the Sideboard, he maintained that the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the loss of jobs, 50 thousand disappeared in the sector. He argued that 2021 looks complicated, there have already been closings of stores.
Source: jornada.com.mx
