Federal deputies on Friday warned of massive protests nationwide if the president doesn't enact emergency trade barriers to protect Mexican farmers ill prepared for the next phase of North American trade liberalization.
More than 20 agricultural duties are due to be lifted on Jan. 1, 2003, nine years after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect.
The new phase of NAFTA will leave all but a few basic crops exempt from liberalization, and Mexico's largely impoverished small farmers claim they're not ready to compete against their heavily subsidized U.S. counterparts.
The small farmers, or campesinos, fear a new wave of cheap U.S. products will decimate Mexico's delicate agricultural sector and cost thousands of rural jobs.
Campesino protests have become increasingly common over the past two years, as farmers have blocked highways and laid siege to government offices in search of higher subsidies.
"If (President Vicente) Fox doesn't act soon, he can only expect massive mobilizations across the country," said Dep. Jaime Rodriguez, who heads the Chamber's Agriculture Committee.
Rodriguez called on Fox to enact protectionist tariffs under NAFTA emergency clauses, saying even massive increases to the agricultural budget won't be enough to save campesinos.
Fox's government says it has no intention of halting the flow of liberalization, though the president has criticized U.S. subsidy programs as unfair.
The president has pledged 102 billion pesos (US$10 billion) in farm aid for 2003 up seven percent from 2002 - though it is clear Mexico can't compete with the United States on subsidies.
U.S. farmers receive an average of 20,800 dollars each yearly. Mexico only manages to dole out about 720 dollars a year to its farmers.
As Rodriguez spoke, campesinos built makeshift tents against the outer walls of the lower house, preparing for their fourth consecutive night on the streets outside the legislature.
The farmers herded cattle before Congress on Tuesday, and continue to organize small demonstrations before several government offices in the capital. Larger marches are expected as Jan. 1 draws nearer.
"We're fighting for our lives," said farmer Arturo Robles. "There's no doubt the protests will escalate if the government abandons us on this."
Farm groups have pledged to shut down U.S.-Mexico border crosses on New Years day to keep U.S. agro-products from entering the country.
Members of Fox's government accept campesinos have a raw deal under NAFTA, though they argue the pact has been favorable overall for the country.
In an editorial published Friday in Reforma daily, Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, the nation's UN ambassador and a former member of Fox's cabinet, praised NAFTA for impulsing Mexico's export industry, but criticized the government for abandoning campesinos before a harsh global market.
"It was assumed that getting Mexican farmers to the level of their NAFTA counterparts was only a matter of time, and that the rest of the work would be left to divine providence and infallible market forces," wrote Aguilar Zinser. "The Mexican state once again left campesinos - and above all the poorest of them - on their own."
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