“Tortilla war” waged in Mexico

Tens of thousands of Mexicans are waging a so called “tortilla war” against rising corn prices. President Felipe Calderon, a free market advocate, has refused to force producers to keep the corn price low.

The protestors are demanding that something be done to lower the cost of the Mexican staple, which has more than doubled in the past year.

Calderon has said he does not want to return to direct price controls enforced by many former Mexican presidents.

With minimum wage workers earning $ US 4 an hour many Mexicans are forced to spend up to 1/3 of their salaries on tortillas for their family.