Report from the BBC on the Tortilla walk out in Mexico City

The audio of the report can be downloaded from quicksharing.com and the link to the file is:

http://s2.quicksharing.com/v/5758807/bbctortillareport.mp3.html

Duncan Kennedy argues that the vast majority of Mexicans live with so little money and yet they have to face the rise in the price of the tortilla which is a basic food for Mexicans. In that I fully agree with him.

As to the causes for such a rise, Mr. Kennedy points out that it is the production of ethanol in USA, which uses maize, the one causing the trouble in Mexican tortilla market. Further, he argues that Calderon (the appointed president) cannot control what is happening with tortilla. In that I fully disagree with Mr. Kennedy.

I would like to say that Mexican tortilla market in many ways does not depend of USA maize production.

1) maize has been culturally always a 'must' for Mexican farmers and 'campesinos', either as a subsistence product or for commercialisation.

2) Mexican maize market is controlled by few families, I would say that no more than 10 families control maize market. The biggest one is the Hank family who owns maseca.

3) Calderon can either give some incentive to campesinos and farmers to reinforce their production and provide maize to local markets OR can start fighting the big monopoly of maize.

Hence there is plenty to do, and if Calderon does nothing is only because, as all high-mid classes he is got the stereotype that tortilla is for the underclasses and it does not represent a move towards a 'global culture'. We only have to look at comments from people in Mexico (mainly tv presenters) arguing that 'people should thing about changing their food habits'.