Environmentalists, locals block Mexico fertilizer plant access; governor urges dialogue

Environmentalists and indigenous community members have blocked access to a fertilizer plant under construction in Topolobampo, Mexico, halting operations and preventing staff entry. The action has prompted the interim governor of Sinaloa, Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde, to call for dialogue with the affected families.

Governor Bonilla Valverde stated that she has met with traditional leaders of the Mayo-Yoreme communities in Ahome. These leaders, she reported, have given their approval for both the fertilizer plant and another project, Mexinol, to operate and generate progress. She invited the protesters to further meetings at the Government Palace to discuss their concerns, asserting that the traditional leaders confirmed these foreign investment projects do not encroach on their communities or lands.

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My country's traditional governors from the Mayo-Yoreme communities... gave their approval for the fertilizer and Mexinol projects to operate and generate progress.

The governor also mentioned that the traditional leaders recognize the 2022 consultation process for the Gas y Petroquímica de Occidente (GPO) fertilizer plant met all requirements and was approved. However, new protests have resurfaced this week with the arrival of a large structure for the plant's construction. Social media is being used to organize further demonstrations, with organizers arguing the projects will alter biodiversity and disrupt the lives of indigenous communities in Ahome.

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The traditional governors of the indigenous communities of the bay of Topolobampo... recognize that the consultation carried out among them and other areas, in 2022, met all the requirements and it was approved that the company Gas Y Petroquímica de Occidente (GPO) build a fertilizer plant.