On Monday, November 24, the National Association of Truckers (ANTAC), in alliance with farmers' organizations, set up roadblocks on various highways across the country to demand urgent federal government attention to insecurity, extortion, attacks, and robberies on highways.
Other demands related to bureaucratic procedures, especially the application for license plates, driver's licenses, and medical appointments, which they consider basic services that are, they claim, being denied by authorities. Meanwhile, farmers across Mexico are demanding a fair price per ton of corn, citing the increase in production costs and the lack of federal government support for the agricultural sector.
Road closures were expected in as many as 20 states, including major toll roads such as the Mexico City-Toluca, Mexico City-Querétaro, Mexico City-Pachuca, Mexico City-Puebla, Mexico City-Cuernavaca, and Mexico City-Acapulco highways.
As of Monday morning, no reports of roadblocks in Jalisco had been received.
Eduardo Ron Ramos, Jalisco’s Secretary of Agriculture, told reporters that if any protests were to break out, he expected them to be “peaceful and not affect the public.”
Jalisco farmers were expected to attend a meeting on Monday at noon at the offices of the federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to continue negotiations.
As for the truckers’ demands, the National Chamber of Freight Transportation (Canacar) stated that it does not support the roadblocks and believes dialogue is the best way forward.