The head of Sagarpa, Jose Calzada, stated that, from January to April this year, the surplus of the food trade balance of Mexico with the United States had increased by 46 percent when compared to the same period of 2015, with a favorable balance for the country of 3,818 million dollars.
According to the federal official, Mexican agricultural food exports to this destination amounted to nearly 9 billion dollars, i.e. 13 percent more than in the previous year.
During a work visit to Washington, USA, Calzara Rovirosa stressed that the Mexican Government was promoting the entry of food products to the US.
This, he added, will increase the strategic relationship Mexico has with its main trading partner so that Mexico can export 30 billion dollars in food exports this year.
Calzada Rovirosa said that strengthening the relationship with the United States was crucial for the North American bloc, because this region could not grow without Mexico.
On his first day at the US capital, the head of Sagarpa met with the ambassador of Mexico in that country, Carlos Sada Solana, with whom he discussed issues of bilateral relations regarding agriculture and trade.
Later, he met with members of the Pew Research Center, with whom he discussed issues related to the migration of Mexicans to the United States, particularly those who are engaged in food processing activities.
In the afternoon, the Mexican official was the speaker of honor at the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS).
The CSIS is engaged in research and analysis to provide alternative securities and policies for decision making.
According to Sagarpa, the main export products were beer (1,072 million dollars), tomato (941 million dollars) and capsicum (600 million dollars). Other important export products were avocado (497.7 million dollars), raspberries and blackberries (407.5 million dollars), tequila (365.2 million dollars), strawberry (352.5 million dollars), live cattle (264 million), cucumber (242.4 million) and asparagus (233.5 million dollars).
These 10 products, said Calzada Rovirosa, account for nearly 52 percent (4,973 million dollars) of the total value of Mexican exports to the United States.
The products whose value grew during the reference period (January-April 2016) were strawberry, +42 percent; pepper, +40 percent, and tomato, +30 percent.
In terms of volume, there was a significant increase in exports of squash and avocado, as they both increased by 26 percent.
Other food products exported to the United States are nuts, onions, cabbage, watermelon, lemon, blueberry, canned fruit, orange juice, mango, vegetables, lettuce, banana, and papaya.
Food trade between both countries grew by 6 percent during the first four months of the year and stood at 15,285 million dollars.
The head of SAGARPA will meet with Secretary of Agriculture of the United States, Thomas Vilsack, to discuss issues related to the opening of that market for avocado from Jalisco.
Source: Notimex