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Farmers back off border blockade after final NAFTA requirements take effect

Mexican farmers protest the end of import protections for their country's corn and bean crops in Mexico City on Wednesday. PHOTO: AP

Activists lifted a blockade at the US-Mexico border on Wednesday, ending a 36-hour protest against the removal of Mexico's last tariffs on US and Canadian farm goods.

Mexico abolished its last protective tariffs on basic crops like corn, beans and sugar on Tuesday, under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. Mexican farmers have complained they won't be able to compete with US farmers who can sell cheaper products because they receive government subsidies.

The Roman Catholic Church in Mexico has warned the changes could spark an exodus to the US.

"It is clear that many farmers will have a difficult time competing in the domestic market, and that could cause a large number of farmers to leave their farms," the archdiocese said in a statement issued on New Year's Day.

Farming activists in Ciudad Juarez blocked one lane of the border bridge leading into El Paso, Texas, to protest the unrestricted imports of US corn, as part of a 36-hour demonstration that started in the first minutes of the New Year.

They had pledged not to allow any US grain into the country, but none of the trucks they stopped and inspected at the bridge were carrying any grain. They lifted the blockade around midday on Wednesday.

Holiday motorists visiting family members south of the border were frustrated by the partial blockade.

"They should go somewhere else to stage their show. They're not going to solve anything here," said Luis Santillan, an El Paso resident trying to get across the bridge.

Mexican newspapers, meanwhile, were filled with predictions that the trade opening would hurt Mexico's national food production and cause ongoing conflict.

"The open battle against NAFTA begins," read a banner headline in the daily La Jornada.
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