[NYTr] NAFTA Jeopardizes Mexican Sugar Industry Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:32:43 -0600 (CST) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Prensa Latina, Havana http://www.plenglish.com NAFTA Jeopardizes Mexican Sugar Industry Mexico, Dec 24 (Prensa Latina) The jobs of thousands of Mexican sugarcane workers will be at stake after tariffs on sugar and sweetener imports from the United States are lifted, it was reported on Monday. As of January 1 and in compliance with the agricultural chapter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexican borders will be opened to subsidized food products from the United States. Senate's Sugar Industry Special Committee President Juan Bueno Torio warned against an eventual invasion of foreign sweeteners. In addition, the lack of funds to modernize the sugar complex La Concepcion, in the state of Veracruz, will worsen the crisis by decreasing sugarcane yield. That factory and the sugar mill La Independencia, in Veracruz, are likely to close in a short term. As a result, 5,000 families will lose their jobs, so they will have no other choice but to migrate to the United States, as others have done, he pointed out. iom jg jrr PL-30 * ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us Our main website: http://www.blythe.org List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr =================================================================