The Mexican government and the European Commission of Agriculture have announced the start of negotiations on a bilateral agreement for trade in organic products.
At a press conference the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, José Calzada, said that in the last 15 years the food trade between Mexico and the EU had increased by 150 per cent from €890m in 2000 to €2.2bn in 2015.
Bananas, coffee, honey and beef are among the products that Mexico is looking to position in the European market.
The European organics market remains one of the most dynamic sectors and Mexico has great potential to develop business opportunities for producers of organic products, Calzada noted.
“The goal of this exercise is to provide greater prosperity and welfare to our producers and consumers through greater cooperation on matters of common interest,” Calzada said.
Around 24,500ha were planted with organic crops in Mexico in 2014, with production reaching 104,000 tonnes with a total value of MXN1.062bn.
In the European Union, meanwhile, the area cultivated with these products during 2014 reached 10.3m ha compared to 6.4m ha in 2005.
The EU is also the second biggest organics market, accounts for 40 per cent of global sales, behind the US on 43 per cent.
Last week, EU agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan visited Mexico accompanied by a delegation of 35 businessmen representing a wide range of products from the European food industry.
