MEXICAN WOMAN BUYS TORTILLAS IN MEXICO CITY, 2000-01-18 (photo)

A Mexican woman buys tortillas in Mexico City on January 18. Mexican tortilla makers said they raised prices by 14.3% on Tuesday due to increased production costs. In 1999 Mexico ended price controls on tortillas that included subsidies to producers of corn flour, the main ingredient in tortillas, giving rise to fierce competition among producers of industrially produced corn flour and dough made from the traditional boiled and ground fresh corn. Mexicans consume 30,000 tonnes of tortillas a day, according to Celorio's organization. Sixty-five percent of tortillas in Mexico are still made via the traditional method. DA/JP