The Government of Mexico and the European Union announced the start of negotiations for a bilateral agreement to trade organic products.
Both parties stated they were interested in concluding the agreement as soon as possible to expand the market for organic products, reduce paperwork and provide a greater supply of these products to consumers.
The Mexican Secretary of Agriculture, Jose Calzada Rovirosa, and the Commissioner of Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Union (EU), Phil Hogan, had a series of meetings and agreed to begin negotiations to achieve a mutual equivalence of regulations and control systems for organic products.
Hogan is visiting Mexico between February 10 and 12 accompanied by a delegation of 35 businessmen representing a wide range of products from the European food industry.
"I welcome the opening of negotiations to reach an agreement on trade in organic products. The European organic product sector remains one of the most dynamic sectors and Mexico has great potential to develop business opportunities for producers of organic production," Hogan said.
In turn, Calzada Rovirosa said the parties had agreed to "work together to make our regulations, production and control of organic production systems equivalent."
"The goal of this exercise is to provide our producers and consumers a greater prosperity and welfare by strengthening cooperation so that we can share our responsibility in a regional and global framework of common interest," he stated.
Organic production is an integral management and food production system that combines the best environmental practices, a high level of biodiversity, preservation of natural resources, and the application of high production and animal welfare standards, said the Ministry of Agriculture.
He also stated that the organic crop production in Mexico was going through a period of expansion.
In 2014, Mexico planted 24,500 hectares and obtained 104,000 tons of these products worth 1,062 million pesos (56.2 million dollars). The leading products value-wise were organic tomato, coffee, strawberry, and raspberry.
The organic sector in the EU has developed rapidly in recent years. The total area cultivated with these products reached 10.3 million hectares during 2014. In 2005, the EU only had 6.4 million hectares devoted to these crops.
The EU accounts for 40% of the world's market for organic products, occupying the second position just behind the United States (with 43%), he said.
