Mexico airlifts food supplies to areas cut off by teachers' protest

The Mexican government has airlifted emergency food supplies to communities isolated by a protracted teachers' protest, local media reported on Saturday.

The supplies were sent to communities in southern Oaxaca state, the epicenter of an ongoing conflict between a teachers' union and the government attempting to impose education reforms.

Corn, beans and powdered milk were flown to supply state-run shops called Diconsa, which provide staple items at subsidized prices.

Some "82 percent of the 2,021 Diconsa shops in Oaxaca have been resupplied," the daily La Jornada said, citing information from the Ministry of Social Development.

The shops now have enough basic goods to last for about 15 days, according to the ministry, which began its alternative distribution plan on June 24, also using rural roadways in addition to airlifting 178 tons of food.

Meanwhile, the teachers stepped up their protests Saturday, blocking "at least 20 highway points across the state," the daily Milenio reported.

The teachers urge the government to repeal an education reform package passed by Congress in 2013, saying the reforms are designed to pave the way for the privatization of the public school system.

Negotiations between the two sides have so far failed to produce an agreement. Endi