The Broad and Progressive Agreement of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), also known as the TPP-11, has allowed Mexican avocado producers to set their sights on the markets of Australia and New Zealand.
The two countries are important avocado producers in that region, but they have a very marked seasonal crop and, therefore, are complementary markets, said Ramon Paz Vega, the strategic adviser of the Association of Producers and Packers Exporters of Avocado in Mexico (APEAM).
Given this situation, and coupled with the growing demand in both nations, Mexico could take advantage of this opportunity and export its avocados to these markets when they lack local production, Paz Vega stated in an interview with Notimex.
Even though its difficult to enter these two markets because of the strict phytosanitary measures they have, Mexico has already started some negotiations in order to enter them.
For the moment, Mexico will continue exporting its avocados to Japan, where 95 percent of the avocado is imported from Mexico, which doesn't have any tariffs or any other barrier for this product there, he said.
Singapore is also an attractive market for Mexican avocados and producers expect to send at least four thousand tons of avocados there at the end of the harvest season, i.e. on June 30, he said.
Paz Vega also said this year's production would amount to just over two million tons, i.e. 10 percent more than the previous year. 835 thousand tons of the production will be sent to the United States, the main export market of the Mexican product.
The CPTPP represents a market of 372 million potential consumers and representatives of the 11 countries of the Asia-Pacific region - Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam - signed the agreement on March 8.
This established the largest free trade area in the world, with modern disciplines that meet the challenges of 21st century economies.
According to the Ministry of Economy (SE), Mexico will obtain significant and immediate access to 90 percent of the block's market. This will allow it to diversify its economy by opening preferential access to six new markets -Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam - and deepen its access to the Japanese agricultural market.
Source: Notimex