The Mexican ministry of agriculture and EurepGAP signed an agreement last week that will eventually lead to MexicoGAP being benchmarked to the EurepGAP, the global partnership for safe and sustainable agriculture.
Minister Blanca Villarello told a press conference at Mexico’s embassy in Berlin that she hoped that, with much of the groundwork already in place, the benchmarking process can be completed within 90 days.
She said that work towards this goal started in Mexico three and a half years ago. “We have dedicated a lot of effort to promoting the export of fruit and vegetables… we recognise that we don’t only have to comply with the quality demands of supermarkets, but also food safety and health regulations and requirements. With the help of EurepGAP and working through grower associations, we will make it easier for our growers to maintain their market share in Europe.”
EurepGAP president Nigel Garbutt said: “[MexicoGAP’s equivalence to EurepGAP] will be immediately recognised by global buyers in a global marketplace - an achievement that will really put Mexico on the global supply map. A lot of hard work has already been done, but nowe we are at the beginning of a journey to enshrine these standards and get them recognised.
Mexico will join an increasing family of national GAP programmes benchmarked against EurepGAP, he added. “There are already many EurepGAP certified producers in Mexico and there is quite a high proportion of Mexican growers already working to the standards of the US market, so this is not that big a job for them. The real task is to establish the certification process, and building the capacity for auditing and training in Mexico.”
The Mexico Supreme Quality logo has been implemented to drive a promotional programme in key export markets and the efforts made to bring producers up to the standards required to use the brand have laid the foundations for EurepGAP compliance.
Villarello said: “We think we are already well advanced in the process and 90 days should be enough.” However, Garbutt stressed that there are still a number of building blocks to be placed before the deal is finalised and limited his own prediction on timescale to “a few months”.
