“From those with extraordinarily high incomes, to those with modest incomes, tortillas are on the table as part of their diet; for some families it is a livelihood on a day-to-day basis and in their habits a basic, substantial food”, he commented.
How much does a kilo of tortilla cost?
From January to April of this year, the average price of a kilogram of tortilla in the different areas of the country has ranged between 11 and 33 pesos, according to Inegi figures.
On May 23, according to data from the national Market Information and Integration system, a kilo of tortilla cost between 13.56 and 27 pesos.
In January of this year, tortilla price inflation was 0.69%; while in April it reached 2.18%. In the first four months of the year, the percentage variation in the price of tortillas has been 5.61%, with an average variation of 1.84%, according to the Inegi calculator.
How to lower the price of the tortilla?
After analyzing the links in the corn and tortilla production and supply chain, PACIC plans to intervene in some of the processes to curb the rise in prices of this food. “It is not a price control,” said Undersecretary Guerrero.
The official explained that the federal government intends to address two aspects: increase the supply of corn with duty-free imports for countries with which Mexico does not have a free trade agreement, and increase local production of the grain.
In addition, he stressed that Mexican Food Security (Segalmex) will buy between 800,000 and one million tons of corn to “create a strategic reserve that, if factors continue to be out of control, especially exogenous ones, there will be a safe supply and that the price of the tortilla is not affected by the shortage”, as it happened in 2021.
Last year, in March the increase in the price of tortillas was 2.88%, in May 2.6%, in July 2.39%, being the months in which the highest price for this food was recorded, according to Inegi.
Last year Mexico imported 807,886 tons of white corn and more than 16.56 million tons of yellow, according to the Ministry of Economy.
State of Mexico, Oaxaca, Puebla, Mexico City and Veracruz consume between 51 and 52% of the tortilla in Mexico, explained the official, who announced that regional programs will soon be presented to have a greater impact on food consumption.
In addition to the zero tariff, in terms of fertilizers, the government reached an agreement with the producers of ammonium sulfate, an input for its production, to contain prices and open the borders to this product.
