Mexico's Good Agricultural Practices certification scheme MexicoGAP is set to grow rapidly over the next four years, with up to 2,200 fresh produce growers in the country expected to be certified by 2016.
That was the verdict of Mexico Calidad Suprema director Juan Alberto Laborin, who was speaking at a special press conference at the GlobalGAP Summit 2012 in Madrid, Spain.
Mexico Calidad Suprema, which is jointly funded by growers and the Mexican government, has helped growers across Mexico achieve MexicoGAP accreditation, with 200 producers currently certified – the equivalent of 3,600ha. The organisation is actually forecasting that a further 9,900ha will become certified under the scheme during the 2012/13 season.
As part of the drive to increase certification, Mexico Calidad Suprema has signed a framework agreement with Mexico's food safety and quality authority Senasica-Sagarpa to encourage the implementation of the Contamination Risk Reduction System environmental management programme.
The group has also signed an agreement with the Association of Michoacán State Avocado Producers and Packers (APEAM), Laborin explained, to support the implementation of food safety programmes in some 500 orchards, with an estimated 8,900ha to be covered by the first stage of the initiative.
Mexico Calidad Suprema also hopes to increase the number of certification accreditation organisations in the country, which currently stands at two MexicoGAP certification bodies and ten that certify under the allied GlobalGAP programme.
And the MexicoGAP programme has had clear benefits, as demonstrated by Hurst's Mexico, the subsidiary of US-based Hurst's Berry Farms, which exports raspberries, blueberries and blackberries to a number of European and Asian markets.
According to Hurst's, having the MexicoGAP certification scheme has provided it with an opportunity to become a sustainable business in Asia and Europe, enabling it to offer clients firm assurances over quality, food safety, handling and workers rights.
'MexicoGAP certification is important for our company and the berries industry because it integrates not only good agricultural practices, but also production material sustainability, environmental care and social responsibility,' said the group.
'It is a widely known and valid protocol which ensures total quality, establishes reliability for our clients and enables us to increase our list of customers in Europe and Asia.'
