Mexico: Import of glyphosate drops from 16,500 tons to 8,200 tons

The importation of formulated glyphosate into Mexico dropped from 16,526 tons in 2021 to 8,263 tons in 2022 so far, according on progress report on the compliance with the presidential decree that establishes the actions that must be carried out by agencies and entities that are part of the federal public administration (APF), with the aim of gradually replacing the use, acquisition, distribution, promotion and importation of glyphosate and agrochemicals used in the country that contain it as an active ingredient. 

The importation of technical glyphosate has also decreased from 1,257 tons in 2021 to 629 tons in 2022 so far.

Therefore, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources said, ″The glyphosate import quota issued by Conacyt has changed and was reduced by 50%, based on the application trend submitted in the second quarter of 2022, which predicts an under-use of the total amount authorized and facilitate compliance,″ with the gradual reduction of this highly toxic input that causes diseases such as cancer.

In the report, it is noted that ″Conacyt issued the recommended level on December 21, 2021 and was accepted by Semarnat on December 28 of the same, leaving at 8,263 tons of formulated glyphosate and 629 tons of technical glyphosate, representing a 50% decrease compared to the amounts recommended in 2021. It should also be noted that this global amount was divided into individual levels of 486 tons of formulated glyphosate, and 39 tons of technical glyphosate, but only for the companies that met the same criteria indicated for the equal distribution of the 2021 level.″

It added that in August 2022, the first five requests for authorization to import glyphosate for that year were received, one for technical glyphosate and the remaining four for formulated glyphosate. As of August 31, 2022, three authorizations were issued for formulated glyphosate totalling 1,414 tons, equivalent to 17.1% of the 2022 level.

Likewise, it highlighted the fact that Cofepris, responsible for granting sanitary authorizations to pesticides, reported that it has 1,364 records, of which 785 have indeterminate validity. Of these 1,364 records, 166 correspond to pesticides whose formulation includes glyphosate, 67 technical and 99 formulated, of which their validity and uses are varied.

The document indicates that so far in 2022, 34 permit procedures have been requested, of which seven were denied due to discrepancies. The 27 procedures were requested by 14 companies, of which four correspond to requests for experimental samples, 11 are requests for formulated glyphosate and six for technical glyphosate.

The institutions involved in this public policy report said that ″in Mexico, it is currently possible and economically viable to adequately control weeds without using glyphosate on different crops and production scales, through weed management practices that are part of comprehensive agricultural strategies designed to avoid damage to human health, the environment and food production.″

They added that ″the most significant action carried out by the Sembrando Vida program of the Ministry of Well-being is the adoption of alternatives to glyphosate, and, in general, to the use of pesticides and agrochemicals, by establishing biofactories in its 18,102 learning communities of farmers.″

The complete report can be found on the Semarnat website.