Mexico President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum last week presented Julio Berdegué Sacristán as her secretary of agriculture and rural development as part of an initial rollout of Cabinet officers, San Diego Red reported.

“After being named agricultural secretary, Berdegué Sacristán voiced support for more sustainable agricultural practices,” the Americas Society/Council of the Americas said in an analysis.

“He also said the next Mexican government will continue to be opposed to both the cultivation of and the importation of genetically modified corn for human consumption. The AMLO government’s moves to phase out imports of GMO corn has already been a source of friction between the United States and Mexico,” AS/COA said.

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade secretariat is scheduled to hold a hearing on the GMO issue this week in Mexico City.

“A long-time agronomist and academic, Berdegué Sacristán was, until 2022, subdirector general and regional representative of the Food and Agricultural Organization to the UN for Latin America and the Caribbean,” AS/COA said.

Berdegué Sacristán is “agronomist with a long academic trajectory,” the Associated Press said.

In May, Reuters reported that Berdegué Sacristán had said Sheinbaum wants to reform the use of water in Mexican agriculture.