The Economics of Campesino Maize (Corn) in Mexico
Are you planting? That’s a polite question to ask a Mexican campesino in late spring. The answer increasingly, at least in this region, is no.
No, said Chuy, the horse died.
No, said Emilia, three years out of seven there’s not enough rain and so it’s just not worth it.
No, said, Don Bruno, it’s a huge sacrifice and you make no money. He went on to lay out the economics. He has 6 hectares, that is about 17 acres. Prices in US dollars
Outgoings
Seeds. His own
Tractors to prepare the ground @ 80 per hectare 480
1 ton of fertilizer for each hectare @ 27 per ton 180
Weed killer 47 @ liter for each hectare 280
To cut one hectare, 4 laborers (peones) @15 a day for 6 days 210
To stack one hectare, ditto 210
To take the grains off 70
To take to market 70
Total 1290
Incomings
270 a ton 1620
In sum
In short, the campesino works much of the year to make 400 dollars. Clearly not worth it when even a poor paying job in Mexico yields 100 dollars a week.
Who are they competing with? Not with imported American yellow corn.
They are growing Mexican white corn and are competing with big mechanized Mexican growers. It looks to me as if the killer is the inefficient use of un-mechanized labor.
Meanwhile Don Bruno continues to plant a small milpa (plot with maize, squash, and beans) for his own use. It’s perhaps 15 yards by 15 yards.
Yesterday the Los Angeles Times ran an article about Wal-Mart and other large chains working with very small farmers to teach them to produce locally the fresh produce which is up to large chain standards, and then buying the product. Sadly, this can only help the tiniest fraction of campesinos.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fi-walmart8mar08,0,6731079.story
Thanks for that link, Kay. Very interesting. I wonder if Wal-Mart has the same program in Mexico. Interestingly Don Bruno reports that growing tomatillos gives a much better yield. Provided it rains, that is.
Es realmente triste la situacion del campo en Mexico, y si en USA se esta cultivando maíz blanco del tipo que usamos en Mexico. Tambien importamos frijol y “chiles”. En breve no tendremos ninguna idependencia alimentaria. NI hablar de que los campesinos no tendran trabajo, y nuestros perfiles de sabores continuaran cambiando al acostumbrarnos a los diferentes sabores y calidades de productos similares a los nuestros producidos en otras tierras.
There’s so much to say about this, Iliana, I don’t know where to begin. Perhaps more blog posts.