MEXICO CITY, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Mexico will import between 14 million and 16 million metric tons of yellow corn this year, Agriculture Minister Victor Villalobos said on Wednesday, after production in northern Chihuahua state was "severely" affected by drought last year.
Villalobos, speaking in an online press conference, said imports were "in line with yearly averages" but declined to give a figure for Mexican corn production.
He said production in the country's south-east would help offset the deficit in Chihuahua; he added that it made no difference whether farmers fed livestock white or yellow corn.
Mexico is self-sufficient in white corn production but imports large amounts of yellow corn - almost entirely from the United States.
Last month, U.S. government data showed that Mexico was forecast to export a
record 15.3 million tons
over 2023/24 - a figure it said would exceed by some 20% the previous record set two years earlier.
Accounting for nearly half of U.S. corn sales, Mexico remains the top buyer despite a proposal to curb
genetically modified (GM) corn imports
. If strongly enforced, this could dent U.S. exports. (Reporting by Adriana Barrera; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Kylie Madry and Marguerita Choy)
