75,000 Protest Tortilla Prices in Mexico

People march to protest recent price increases in tortillas in Mexico City, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007. Tens of thousands of trade unionists, farmers and leftist groups marched through downtown Mexico City on Wednesday to protests price increases for basic food items like tortillas. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) (Gregory Bull - AP)

The marchers are angry about tortilla prices that have doubled over the last year to roughly 45 cents a pound, causing hardship among the millions of poor Mexicans for whom they are a staple.

There was no official report on crowd size available, but reporters on the scene gave an estimate of 75,000, based on protesters filling about three-quarters of a plaza that holds about 100,000.

The protesters were mobilizing to demand that Calderon take stronger action to control prices of basic foods.

Since taking office Dec. 1, Calderon has drawn the greatest criticism for failing to control the largest spike in tortilla prices in decades. The national uproar has put him in an uncomfortable position between the poor and some agribusiness industries hoping to profit from the surge in international corn prices, driven mostly by the sudden explosion of the U.S. ethanol industry.

A free-market advocate, Calderon has said he does not want to return to direct price controls enforced by many former Mexican presidents.

On Jan. 18, Calderon signed an accord with business organizations to try to limit tortilla prices to about 35 cents a pound. But many of the independent tortilla sellers have ignored the rate, essentially a gentlemen's agreement with no legal backing.

High tortilla prices put some Mexicans in danger of being malnourished.

The poor eat an average of 14 ounces of tortillas daily, giving them 40 percent of their protein, according to Amanda Galvez, who runs a nutrition research institute at Mexico's National Autonomous University.

With the new prices, workers earning the minimum wage of about $4 a day could spend a third of their earnings on tortillas for their family.

"Some people can switch to more unhealthy alternatives. Others just go without," Galvez said.