Mexico’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (Sagarpa) and China’s quarantine department, AQSIQ, have agreed to preliminary protocols to allow Mexican raspberry, blackberry and beef exports to China.
While the protocols may take until November to be signed officially, according to Sagarpa, the preliminary negotiations agreed upon were focused on strengthening inspections and certification processes in order to allow the first Mexican raspberry, blackberry and beef exports to reach China before the end of the year.
Saparga released a statement saying that market access to China would open up important opportunities for Mexican produce, and advance Mexico’s positioning as an agricultural exporter.
The preliminary protocols were agreed to during a meeting in Beijing attend by both AQSIQ and Sagarpa officials on Tuesday.
The deal follows two visits by AQSIQ officials to Mexico, in December 2013 and again in March this year, to ensure Mexico’s production facilities met international food safety standards.
