A group of researchers is urging the Mexican government to authorize the use of genetic editing tools, such as CRISPR, for crop improvement. They are calling for a regulatory framework that distinguishes these technologies from traditional transgenics—similar to the approach already adopted in most Latin American countries.
Currently, Mexico — along with Bolivia, Venezuela, and Peru — is among the few nations in the region without specific regulations governing agricultural gene editing. This contrasts with countries like Argentina and Chile, which led the way by establishing such regulations in 2015 and 2017, respectively.
To address this gap, 28 researchers from various Mexican institutions recently issued a public statement and launched a Change.org petition advocating for science-based regulation of genetic editing. Their goal is to enable the development of crops with enhanced traits, such as improved nutritional value and greater resistance to drought, according to a press release.
“We are concerned that, if the use of this technology is limited in Mexico, other countries will be developing improved crops that we will have to buy later,” Luis José Delaye Arredondo, director of the Advanced Genomics Unit of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (UGA-Cinvestav), one of the signatories, told SciDev.Net.
Their request stems in part from a decree signed in March of this year by President Claudia Sheinbaum, which bans the cultivation of transgenic corn throughout Mexico. The decree states that corn production “must be free of genetic modifications produced through techniques that surpass natural barriers of reproduction or recombination, such as transgenics.”
Source: Seed World
