Mexico tortilla producers said on Friday they agreed not to raise prices after economy ministry officials promised to help contain rising costs. Homero Lopez, president of the National Tortilla Council, told Reuters that economy officials promised to come up with some measures by next week at a meeting on Thursday.

"We will not seek to raise prices indiscriminately," he said, adding that his organization represents 80 percent of the country's tortilla makers. Earlier this week, producers warned that they could increase the price of tortillas by 20 percent in the coming days due to rising costs of corn and fuels.

The corn patties are a staple of the Mexican diet and higher prices have triggered protests in the past. Mexico's government denounced the forecast price hikes as unjustified as it sought to allay public concern about high inflation at the start of a presidential election year.

Copyright Reuters, 2018