Mexican GM maize rift is not so simple

Abstract

Excerpt] You rightly point out that the issue of genetically modified (GM) maize (corn) is more sensitive and complex in Mexico than in other countries (Nature511, 1617; 201410.1038/511016a), but you owe readers a more in-depth and balanced view.The rift in Mexico's scientific community over GM maize is [...] a result of the commercial push to plant GM maize before the benefits and risks, and the costs to Mexican society, have been fully assessed.The possibility of producing maize that is tolerant to drought and frost [...] could indeed help to restore Mexico's capacity for growing its own maize. However, commercial cultivars in Mexico (25% of total area) have limited reach, even after more than 60 years of breeding [...]. More than two million households rely on traditional landraces for food security [...], and the global prevalence of insecticide-producing and herbicide-tolerant GM products is at more than 98% after almost 20 years [...]. These factors mean that such claims need to be realized and qualified if they are to be taken seriously. [...]