UPDATE 1-Resolution on corn dispute expected by September, Mexico official says

(Adds quote, details after paragraph 2)

By Adriana Barrera

MEXICO CITY, April 23 (Reuters) - A resolution on the trade dispute panel over Mexico's limiting of genetically modified (GM) corn imports is expected by September, Mexican Economy Minister Raquel Buenrostro said on Tuesday.

The U.S. requested the panel under a trilateral treaty also involving Canada. Mexico is currently waiting to hear the United States' response to Mexico's arguments in favor of the curbs, Buenrostro told journalists.

"The panel is progressing according to procedure and we have to wait," Buenrostro said. "I think that by September it will be over."

The U.S.

requested the panel

last year, claiming Mexico's planned ban of GM corn imports for use in dough and tortillas for human consumption is not based in science and violates commitments under the USMCA treaty.

The decree does

allow the use

of GM yellow corn in animal feed, which accounts for the majority of Mexico's nearly $5.9 billion worth of U.S. corn imports annually.

Buenrostro added that she hoped that as the USMCA was set to be reviewed in 2026, "reciprocity" could be created regarding the so-called rapid-response mechanism.

Under the mechanism, the U.S. has brought forth a number of investigations into alleged labor rights violations at firms in Mexico since the treaty went into effect in 2020.

"We need reciprocity," Buenrostro said, as the current treaty only allows the U.S. to initiate reviews in Mexico. "The United States (opens investigations) in Mexico, but we can't complain about the way our workers are being treated in the United States." (Reporting by Adriana Barrera and Brendan O'Boyle; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita Choy)