Mexican berry producers are gearing up to begin exporting to China after a delegation from China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) visited the country last month to verify field and packing operations.
The delegation visited nine berry orchards and three packhouses in the states of Michochán and Jalisco to conduct a pest risk analysis and verify production systems with a view to agreeing a protocol for trade, according to local news serivce La Jornada.
In a statement, Mexico’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Food and Fisheries (SAGARPA) reported that Feng Chunguang from the safety division of AQSIQ said that Mexico’s berry production systems were compliant with China’s food health and safety requirements.
He added that it was possible phyosanitary requirements for the export of blackberries and raspberries could be reached by the end of this year. That would then pave the way for blueberries to clinch access in 2015, concluding negotiations that Mexico’s National Service for Food Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) began last May.
SAGARPA’s coordinator of international affairs Raúl Urteaga Trani pointed out that Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto would meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in October at the APEC symposium in Beijing, adding to the four meetings the two presidents held last year.
Mexico’s berry industry generated jobs for 100,000 people during the season, with last year’s production reaching an estimated 464,977 tonnes and generating an export value of US$800m, according to representative of Mexican berry producers association Aneberries Mario Andradea.
Over the next five years, he expects production and employment numbers to double due to surging demand. While the vast majority of Mexican berries are currently shipped to the US and Canada, the balance has been going to newer markets in Europe and more recently Asia.
