President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday announced 18 “programs and actions” related to Plan México, the ambitious economic initiative unveiled by the federal government in January. She outlined the different initiatives during a 30-minute speech at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City a day after United States President Donald Trump announced “reciprocal tariffs” on imports from most countries around the world, but not those from Mexico or Canada. Among the officials accompanying Sheinbaum, center, during the event were, from left to right, Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez, Mexico City’s Head of Government Clara Brugada, Baja California Governor Marina del Pila and Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro) While Mexican steel and aluminum, vehicles assembled in Mexico and Mexican goods that don’t comply with USMCA rules are subject to tariffs when exported to the United States, Sheinbaum on Thursday didn’t announce any retaliatory measures against imports from the U.S. Mexico’s decision to refrain from retaliating against its largest trade partner differs from the approach of Canada, where Prime Minister Mark Carney said that his government will impose “carefully calibrated and targeted counter tariffs” on the United States. “As you know we planned this event due to what could have happened yesterday,” said Sheinbaum, accompanied on stage by most of her cabinet ministers. “… Fortunately and thanks to the good relations we’ve established with the United States government, … there was something very important yesterday — recognition of the Mexico-United States-Canada trade agreement, which is fundamental at this time,” she said. “Of course, there are outstanding issues on which we continue holding talks with the United States government,” Sheinbaum said, referring to the steel, aluminum and auto tariffs. “… We believe that with the dialogue we’ve established with the United States government, we’re in a position to reach a better agreement,” she said. Amidst all the positivity, Sheinbaum touched briefly on the U.S.’s recently imposed 25% tariffs on Mexican-made automobiles, potentially a major blow to the economy. She said Mexico would keep negotiating those tariffs with U.S. officials. (Audi México) The 18 Plan México programs and actions Sheinbaum highlighted that Mexico’s outlay on imported products is “similar” to the revenue it earns from exports. “We know that a lot of what we buy abroad could be made at home, with the creativity, ingenuity and determination that characterizes Mexicans,” said the president, who noted that increasing production in Mexico and reducing imports from countries with which Mexico doesn’t have a trade agreement (such as China) is one of the main objectives of Plan México. “… Today we’re announcing 18 programs and actions of Plan México,” Sheinbaum said before enumerating each one. Many of the initiatives were presented under a heading that encapsulates their objectives. They are as follows: 1. Increase food sovereignty Sheinbaum outlined the government’s domestic production targets for corn, beans, milk and rice. Her administration is aiming to substantially increase production of the four staples between now and 2030, the president’s final year in office. Sheinbaum said that the government will present the programs aimed at achieving the food production targets at her Friday morning press conference. 2. Increase energy sovereignty Sheinbaum said that Mexico’s production of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel will increase by at least 30% by 2030. She also said that natural gas production will increase over the next five years, allowing Mexico to reduce reliance on imports. One of Plan México’s aims is to increase domestic gasoline production by at least 30%. (Galo Cañas Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro) Sheinbaum said that the government will “accelerate” investment in the state-owned Federal Electricity Commission in order to increase its electricity generation capacity, including its capacity to generate renewable energy. “We will accelerate the permits for the generation of renewable energy, always guaranteeing that 54% of electricity generation is public as the recently approved laws establish,” she added. Sheinbaum said that further details on the government’s energy sector plans will be announced at her morning press conference next Wednesday. 3. Accelerate public infrastructure projects Sheinbaum said that the government will this year “accelerate” a range of public infrastructure projects, including highway projects, water projects, rail projects, port projects and airport projects. She said that the draft “Public Works Law,” which is currently under consideration by Congress, will allow “all” the processes related to the construction of the infrastructure projects to be expedited. Sheinbaum in Querétaro in October to launch the Mexico City-Querétaro railway project, just one of dozens of planned public infrastructure projects that will be part of Plan México. (Presidencia) Sheinbaum said that the various public infrastructure projects will generate between 500,000 and 1 million “direct jobs just in 2025.” She said that more information about the government infrastructure projects will be presented on Monday April 14. 4. Accelerate the construction of homes and access to loans Sheinbaum said that the government is now aiming to build 180,000 new homes this year, 50,000 higher than a previously announced target. “It’s part of the project [to build] one million homes in the six-year period of government,” she said. The Institute of the National Housing Fund for Workers (Infonavit) and the National Housing Commission (Conavi) are involved in the ambitious project. Sheinbaum also said the government will expedite access to more than half a million loans to help Mexicans purchase homes. She said that the government’s housing projects will create at least 400,000 “direct jobs” this year. Further details on the government’s housing schemes will be presented next Wednesday. The unveiling last week of Mexico’s first domestically built electric vehicle — a line of buses to be used in Mexican cities as public transportation — is just the beginning, President Sheinbaum said, of what could be a Mexican-made auto industry. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro) 5. Strengthen various sectors of the economy Sheinbaum said that her government will strengthen various sectors of the Mexican economy so that they can ramp up production of goods “for the internal market.” The sectors she cited were textiles, footwear, furniture, steel and aluminum, semiconductors, solar panels, batteries and the “creative industry.” Decrees to support the government’s objective that include “a range of actions and measures” will be published on May 5, Sheinbaum said. 6. Increase production of vehicles Sheinbaum said that the government has a plan to increase the production of vehicles in Mexico for sale in the domestic market. Innovation, research and development and energy efficiency in the auto sector will be strengthened as a result of the plan, she said. “The objective is that the majority of vehicles used in Mexico are manufactured in our country,” Sheinbaum said. “Decrees for this program, which are also associated with dialogue with the United States, will be published on May 16,” she said. 7. Increase production of pharmaceuticals and medical devices Sheinbaum said this will be achieved through measures such as “the administrative simplification” of national health regulator Cofepris. She also said that the government, starting in 2026, will increase purchases of medicines and medical equipment from companies that have at least one plant in Mexico. Decrees to support the objectives will be published later this month. Mexico’s federal Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry delivers fertilizer to farmers via the Fertilizers for Well-Being Program, an initiative tied to the administration’s food sovereignty goals. According to government data, 67% of Mexico’s fertilizer demand must be met by imports. (Cuartoscuro) 8. Increase production of petrochemicals and fertilizers Sheinbaum said this will be achieved through public-private and private-only projects. She said that agreements for the public-private projects will be signed in the first half of this year. 9. Increase government purchases of Mexican goods Sheinbaum said the new Acquisitions Law, currently being considered by the Senate, will facilitate this objective. It states that Mexican goods should account for 65% of total government purchases. 10. Increase sales of Mexican products in supermarkets and department stores Sheinbaum said this will be achieved through “voluntary agreements” with the retailers. She said these agreements would be published by May 12. It appears the government wants supermarkets and department stores to increase the range of Mexican goods they stock, and perhaps reduce their offerings of foreign products. 11. Digital platform for investors to be ready this month Sheinbaum said that a new digital platform that investors can use to complete municipal, state and federal applications and other forms will be ready on April 21. The platform is called “La ventanilla única,” a kind of digital one-stop shop for companies seeking permits and the like in order to legally commence projects in Mexico. Sheinbaum noted that Mexico currently has an “investment portfolio” of planned projects totaling more than US $200 billion. A slide she displayed during her speech showed more than US $298 billion in the investment pipeline. “There is enormous enthusiasm for investing in our country,” she said. Laurent Saint-Martin, Delegate Minister of Foreign Commerce for France, was in Mexico City late last month to learn about opportunities for French investors. 12. Tendering process for 15 ‘well-being hubs’ will start by mid-May Sheinbaum said that the tendering processes for the construction of 15 “well-being hubs” — industrial zones or corridors — will start by May 19 at the latest. She noted that these hubs will offer a range of tax incentives to the companies that invest in them. 13. The creation of new jobs Plan México aims to create 1.5 million jobs during Sheinbaum’s six-year term. The president said on Thursday that 100,000 jobs will be on offer at job fairs and via online job search sites in the near future. She said that the government has been working with the private sector on the initiative. Jobs will be on offer at 300 jobs fairs across all 32 federal entities starting April 23. 14. Increase access to credit for small businesses According to a slide the president displayed, the government’s aim is to increase the percentage of small businesses that have access to credit ever year this six-year period of government to reach 30% in 2030. Sheinbaum said that details on the government’s program to achieve this objective will be presented at a banking sector event on May 7. 15. Increase investment in science and technology research Sheinbaum said that the increased investment will be focused on the development of electric vehicles, semiconductors and satellites, and go toward the creation of a National Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and various other programs. The government is also aiming to simplify the process to obtain patents. This objective will be supported by the draft Mexican Institute of Industrial Property law, which Sheinbaum said will be submitted to Congress on April 14. President Sheinbaum announced that an existing agreement between the government and the private sector would be permanently extended to keep the prices of items in Mexico’s basic basket of goods down despite inflationary pressure. (Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro) 16. ‘Permanently’ extend the validity of the government’s anti-inflation plan Sheinbaum said that the government-private sector agreement aimed at keeping the cost of basic foodstuffs down will be “permanently” extended. 17. Continue minimum wage increases Sheinbaum committed her government to increasing Mexico’s minimum wage on an annual basis. The minimum wage increased 12% on Jan. 1 to 278.80 pesos (about US $14) per day in most of the country. 18. Guarantee and expand welfare programs Sheinbaum highlighted that all of the government’s welfare programs are “guaranteed as social rights” in the Mexican Constitution. She said that 1 million women aged 63 and 64 now receive a government pension, and highlighted that women aged 60-62 will be able to enroll in the scheme from August. Sheinbaum said that all public secondary school students are already eligible to receive a government education scholarship, and noted that the scheme will be extended to public primary school students in 2026. Sheinbaum: Plan México ‘is the path’ to prosperity At the conclusion of her address, Sheinbaum said she was certain that Plan México “is the path” that “will take us to a Mexico with more well-paid employment, less poverty and inequality, greater investment and production, more innovation [and] lower carbon content.” The president said that the plan also ensures respect for the environment and will allow Mexico to increase its “self-sufficiency and sovereignty.” Mexico News Daily
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Шоссе героев, чтобы получить асфальтовое наложение – Jagdeo
Признавая обеспокоенность по поводу ухабительности шоссе героев, вице -президент доктор Бхаррат Ягдео показал, что правительство будет выполнять асфальтовое наложение дороги. Он отметил, что это решение было принято несколько месяцев назад. «Много раз люди спрашивали меня о ухабистой природе шоссе Heroes, и я тоже критиковал это, и мы ясно дали понять, что на эту дорогу будет асфальтовое наложение», - сказал он журналистам во время своей пресс -конференции в четверг. «Это не несправедливая критика, что дорога в некоторых местах неровная», - добавил вице -президент. В 2021 году Министерство жилья и воды заключило контракты на сумму 13,3 миллиарда долларов на 12 лотов на строительство альтернативного шоссе с четырьмя полосами движения между Эклсом и Великим Алмазом, Восточным берегом Демерара. Этот участок дороги был впоследствии переименован в Heroes Highway. Он соединяется с четырехполосным шоссе от Eccles до проспекта Мандела, Джорджтаун. Во время своей пресс -конференции Jagdeo размышлял о том, как эта новая дорожная сеть, построенная в рамках Irfaan Ali - руководила администрацией менее чем за пять лет, значительно принесла пользу пассажирам Восточного берега Демерара (EBD). «Просто представьте, что мы не имеем (этой дороги)», - заявил он, когда критиковал оппозицию за придирки к незначительным недостаткам с этими и другими крупными проектами развития по всей стране. Он подтвердил, что большинство выполняемых проектов выполняются должным образом, но все же, скептики сосредоточены только на небольшом проценте, который не был сделан для совершенства. Джагдео объяснил, что правительство не принимает эти недостатки, однако такое несовершенство ожидается, когда в настоящее время проводится масштаб трансформации. «Подумайте о четвертом регионе в 2020 году, и подумайте о четвертом регионе, поезжайте вокруг и увидите… количество дорог, новые предприятия… и я не говорю о периоде Ковида, я говорю до Ковида», - призвал вице -президент граждан, как он размышлял о радикальной трансформации страны за короткий период времени. «Посмотрите на Джорджтаун… Джорджтаун трансформируется», - добавил он. Связанный
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