The technical team of Afrucat this morning accompanied a group of Mexican inspectors to different fields of Baix Segrià to analyze the feasibility of opening the Mexican market to the Catalan stone fruit. This initiative is the result of the joint work of the Association with the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Agriculture of the Generalitat and accelerated thanks to a reverse mission organized by Prodeca this year.
At present, Extremadura is the only area of Spain with current protocol to export stone fruit to Mexico and, from the demand of the different producing areas, Mexican inspectors have visited Murcia, Aragón and today arrive in Lleida to evaluate the conditions of production and management of the fruit and decide if the protocol can be extended. The inspectors, in addition to touring different fields, have also visited two of the main centers in the area, such as the Cooperativa de Soses and Fruits de Ponent.
According to the director of Afrucat, Manel Simon, “opening new countries helps alleviate the pressure in traditional markets and improve the prices of fruit.” For Simon, Mexico is an interesting market because of the ease given by the language and the bad relations that this country is currently experiencing with the US administration, which is its main supplier. The will of Afrucat is that it also enables the possibility of expanding the list of products to be exported with the inclusion of the apple.
