The Government of Mexico has intensified contacts with authorities and marketing firms in Japan to increase exports of pork and berries to the Japanese country. These efforts are part of the work being carried out by the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) to diversify markets in countries of the Asia-Pacific Region.
The Economic Partnership Agreement between both countries, implemented since 2005, has allowed the growth of Mexican agricultural exports, which amount to about one hundred billion dollars annually.
The sale of pork products is Mexico’s main export product to Japan
Among the actions taken to increase the presence of Mexican agri-food products in the Japanese market is the meeting held last March between the Secretary of Agriculture, José Calzada Rovirosa, and the president of the Itochu company in Tokyo, one of the largest marketers firms in Japan and with presence in Mexico for several decades.
In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture of Mexico in the Japanese nation, dependent on the general coordination of International Affairs, coordinated and organized a “Business Mission” for companies in the state of Guanajuato. The purpose of this visit was for Mexican producers to diversify and increase their exports by establishing meetings and commercial links with the main buyers, importers, wholesalers and related retailers in the sector.
A meeting between Itochu, Ganajuato State Governor Miguel Márquez Márquez and entrepreneurs from that state was included in the agricultural business agenda of this mission, in which several investment commitments were agreed.
Through this initiative, participating companies in Guanacaste had the opportunity to get a first-hand view of the domestic Japanese market, as well as the current demand, trends and consumption habits, through visits to the main supermarkets in this Asian country.
During the business rounds, 33 commercial links were established between 19 Japanese buyers representing the food sector in Japan and producers from the state of Guanajuato, who estimated immediate sales of 16.3 million dollars.
In the course of this mission, a visit of representatives of the Japanese company Itochu, to the municipality of Apaseo el Grande, in the state of Guanajuato, was announced, with the expectation of an investment of 18 million dollars and the generation of over 574 jobs, benefiting the municipalities of Abasolo, Irapuato and Pénjamo, improving the marketing of pork products to countries such as China and South Korea.
The certainty accorded by the Japan-Mexico Economic Partnership Agreement to Japanese investors encourages the development of these projects in Guanajuato and greatly expand opportunities for pork producers, as well as berries and vegetables such as asparagus
With this project, the federative entity will improve the business conditions for all those engaged in the production and marketing of food derived from pig farming.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Mexico
