April 6th Transport & Farmers Strike Will Go Ahead

ByAlexia Villaseñor and Jared Laureles

This article by Alexia Villaseñor and Jared Laureles originally appeared in the April 2, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Mexico City. After nearly 12 hours of meetings at the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), members of the National Front for the Rescue of the Mexican Countryside (FNRCM) and the National Association of Transporters in Mexico (ANTAC) indicated that the national strike on highways, customs offices, and border crossings will continue next Monday, April 6.

At the end of the meeting, Baltazar Valdez, leader of the Front, stated that they will expect in the coming days “a tangible response” from the authorities that will allow them to be certain that their proposals will be fulfilled.

“The authorities who met with us have committed to providing answers during the week. In the meantime, the protest continues,” he stated.

Four of five points they raised are still pending, including the exclusion of basic grains from the USMCA, policies to protect national production, the creation of an agricultural development bank, and sufficient guaranteed prices for the payment of their harvests.

In the event of a “positive response,” he said, the possibility of suspending the scheduled demonstration would be evaluated. But, he affirmed, “at this moment it is still on and we must organize for the national mobilization.”

The leader of the transport workers, David Estevez, reported that the meeting was with Carlos Augusto Morales López, private secretary to Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. He acknowledged that the dialogue was lengthy but asserted that “they are not giving up on the mobilization scheduled for April 6th.”

He specified that the authorities requested until Saturday to submit a proposal. “If there is no response by then, the mobilization will continue,” he warned.

Prior to the meeting that began at one in the afternoon, Eraclio Rodríguez, one of the leaders of the Front, pointed out that although there is communication with federal authorities, “dialogue does not resolve anything if there are no decisive actions.”

In an interview, he stated that four of the five points they raised during last year’s mobilizations are still pending, including the exclusion of basic grains from the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the development of policies to protect national production, the creation of an agricultural development bank, and sufficient guaranteed prices for the payment of their harvests.

Members of the National Front for the Rescue of the Mexican Countryside (FNRCM) upon their arrival at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader) in Mexico City, on January 16. Photo: Jair Cabrera Torres/Archive

Furthermore, he indicated that the agreement announced by the federal government with the gasoline sector to reduce the price of diesel to below 28.30 pesos per liter is insufficient, since this fuel has risen between 2 and 3 pesos since the beginning of the mobilizations, which also impacts transporters.

In this regard, ANTAC reported that it continues to face extortion, disappearances, kidnappings, and homicides on highways. They mentioned that this week two truck drivers were found dead, and another is missing; his vehicle has been reported stolen.

Jeannet Chumacero, a member of the Association, emphasized in a video that the strike is taking place “because they cannot work in conditions of neglect, insecurity, and inequality.” She stressed that the road infrastructure is in poor condition, which increases the risk of accidents, travel time, and costs.