The curtain rises, but the stage is mined
The PRI senators have just given a blow to reality. Yes, the reform to protect agricultural laborers is now law. But in the theater of Mexican politics, approving an initiative is only the first act. The real drama begins now, in its implementation.
And the stage, friends, is full of traps.
Two threats that could blow up everything
Senator Mely Romero Celis said it bluntly. First, the money. Or rather, the lack thereof.
“Without a sufficient budget, the reform will not generate real benefits for workers or producers”
It is pure mathematics: if there are no resources for inspections, certifications and technical support, paper remains paper. Especially when 83% of work in the field is informal. Eight out of every ten hands that harvest our food lack the basics: health, pension, certainty.
And then there is the longest and most dangerous shadow: organized crime. Its presence in productive areas is not a secret. It is a slab that crushes any attempt to apply the law normally. How do you certify that an avocado is ‘free from exploitation’ if inspectors fear for its life?
The economic context does not help. Agricultural exports fell 8.7% this year. Fewer sales abroad mean less income for everyone: producers and, at the end of the chain, day laborers.
The PRI says it supports the countryside. But its message is clear: this reform, promoted by President Sheinbaum to comply with the T-MEC, needs much more than good intentions.
It needs an armored budget, security strategies and public policies that reach every detail. Otherwise, it will be another grandiose promise that crashes against the walls of our complex reality. The curtain could come down before the performance begins.
