Mexico food exports to Canada, which have gone from 94 million dollars to 1,659 million dollars in the past 21 year, i.e. a 1,700 percent increase, will continue growing, said the secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, Jose Calzada Rovirosa.
In his visit to Canada, the head of SAGARPA said Canada was Mexico's second biggest trading partner, and that food trade between both countries last year amounted to 3,000 million dollars. According to Statics Canada, in 2015 Mexico achieved a surplus trade balance of nearly $ 300 million dollars.
Secretary José Calzada had a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Agricultural Foods, Lawrence MacAulay, in which they discussed matters relating to scientific cooperation, innovation, technology transfer, as well as the commercial strengthening of agri-food products.
Calzada said this first meeting between the heads of the Ministries of Agriculture would help to strengthen and expand cooperation, increase the trade of food and knowledge of the priority issues for each country, such as global food production, climate impact on the sector, and food security.
He said their work had focused on the harmonization of protocols and phytosanitary standards to increase exports of organic products, such as vegetables, fruits, and coffee from the regions of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Puebla, in response to the new consumer trends in the worldwide markets.
Another topic of interest to Mexico and Canada is the Canada-Mexico Partnership, aimed at promoting relations between the leaders of the public and private sectors of both countries, with an emphasis on creating opportunities for small and medium enterprises, promoting an increase in trade and investment in this area.
In addition, they also discussed issues related to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TTP), specially regarding sensitive products; the results of their alliance against the Law of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL); cooperative action on climate change; strengthening sanitary measures, and the status of the process for the recognition of Mexico as a country that is free of Classical Swine Fever.
In an interview, the head of SAGARPA reiterated that there was no reason to favor an increase in the price of a kilogram of tortillas. He said he was meeting with the Secretary of Economy, Ildefonso Guajardo, to clarify that, Mexico had secured the production of white corn and that, "since there were no increases in the corn market, the price of gas, or electricity, there was no justification to increase tortilla prices."
Mexico mainly exports tomatoes, peppers, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, avocado, beer, mango, cucumber, grapes, onions, and asparagus to Canada.
In turn, Mexico imports rapeseed, bread wheat, beef and pork, canary seed, potatoes, lentils, hams, and oil turnip from Canada.
The President of the National Agricultural Council (CNA), Benjamin Grayeb Ruiz, the general coordinator of International Affairs from Sagarpa, Raul Urteaga Trani, and the Ambassador of Mexico in Canada, Agustin Garcia-Lopez Loaeza are accompanying the head of Sagarpa on his working visit to Canada.
