Mexico City, Mexico – The National Campesino Confederation (CNC) warned Thursday that maguey and nopal, both native Mexican plants, are at risk of being patented by foreigners.

The National Maguey and Nopal Producers Union (UNPMN) presented a report to CNC leader Gerardo Sánchez earlier this week which stated that after thousands of years of surviving in the adverse climates of Mexico, "nopal and maguey are being exploited by foreign businesses, primarily from China."

UNPMN President Ciro Ríos Lara said that China is working to patent nopal and its derivatives that are being sold commercially there.

The report states that the native succulents are important for medicinal purposes and are highly nutritional, in addition to providing income for rural residents. Ríos Lara explained that aguamiel (honey water,) an extract of the maguey, is fermented and converted into pulque, and contains numerous sugars from which high-quality syrups are produced.

Ríos Lara said that experts from several institutions are working together to revive the maguey industry and promote sustainable production.

A group of specialists is working to rescue the Mexican succulents nationally "and to develop industrial projects based on nopal and maguey production."

Urban sprawl seen in places such as the Valle de Mexico and Mexico CIty has greatly reduced levels of maguey and nopal cultivation.