Mexico’s government food distribution agency, Diconsa, has awarded a 346 million peso contract to Minsa Industrial, a maize processing company chaired by Altagracia Gómez Sierra, who also leads the Economic Development and Nearshoring Advisory Council (CADERR) under President Claudia Sheinbaum. The direct award, disclosed in December 2025, has drawn scrutiny due to Gómez Sierra’s dual roles in public policy and private enterprise.
The contract, granted on March 6 and valid through the end of the year, is part of the ‘Maíz para Todos’ initiative under the Rural Supply Program. It tasks Minsa with processing 60,000 tonnes of government-owned maize into nixtamalized flour, packaging it in 20-kilogram sacks, and distributing it across 13 states. The program aims to deliver subsidized flour to 3,500 rural communities, many of them predominantly indigenous.
Minsa has been a regular supplier to Diconsa—formerly known as Segalmex—with 853 contracts between 2022 and 2024 totaling 369 million pesos. However, the 2025 award marks a significant expansion in both scale and scope. Unlike previous contracts for small-scale flour purchases at the state level, this agreement involves full-cycle processing using maize from government reserves.
The optics of awarding such a large contract without competition have drawn attention.
The procurement process did not involve an open tender. Instead, Diconsa conducted a market study among four major maize flour producers. Minsa was the only firm willing to process maize supplied by the state at a lower cost. Competitors such as Molinos Azteca—the industry’s largest player—declined to adapt their supply models. Molinos Azteca offered only its standard product made from its own maize at a price of 13,500 pesos per tonne. Another firm requested that the government transport all maize to its facility in Torreón.
In contrast, Minsa proposed prices ranging from 5,200 to 8,200 pesos per tonne for flour processed from state-owned maize. These figures include processing, packaging, and distribution—substantially undercutting competitors’ offers based on private supply chains. Government officials argue that this model supports affordability goals by leveraging public grain stocks and reducing input costs.
Still, the direct award has raised questions about transparency and potential conflicts of interest. Gómez Sierra’s leadership roles in both CADERR and Minsa place her at the intersection of policy design and commercial benefit. While no evidence suggests impropriety in the bidding process itself—given that other firms declined participation—the optics of awarding such a large contract without competition have drawn attention.
The case underscores broader tensions in Mexico’s public procurement practices: balancing policy objectives such as food security and rural development with norms of market competition and institutional impartiality.
