Mexico City, Aug 16 (EFE).- Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday promised that when he takes office on Dec. 1 one of his priorities will be to “rescue the countryside” so that “those who feed us … (can) eat.”
At a press conference, the leftist leader presented what will be his agricultural sector team, headed by Victor Villalobos, Mexico’s next secretary of agriculture and rural development.
“With this team, we’re going to rescue the Mexican countryside and rescue those who live there. I’ll sum it up in a single phrase: Let those who feed us be able to eat,” Lopez Obrador said.
The 64-year-old president-elect said that during his term a new government entity will be created – Mexican Food Security (Segalmex) – which will merge the public Diconsa and Liconsa companies, which deal with rural supply and milk distribution, respectively.
In turn, the next agriculture chief said that his “signature projects” will be “to strengthen the basic food basket” with 36 products that will be available in the country’s most disadvantaged zones.
He also said that increasing the production of fertilizer, strengthening the livestock industry and attaining “self-sufficiency” in basic foodstuffs to avoid having to import them, such as is the case with corn, will also be priorities.