Apr 24, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC: As Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations enter their final stages and market realities come into sharper focus, USA Rice met yesterday with Ricardo Mendoza from the Mexican Rice Council and Norberto Ugalde of Mexico's National Council of Agriculture and Fisheries to discuss areas of mutual interest and concern. Mendoza and Ugalde are in the U.S. participating in discussions on the TPP and negotiating on behalf of Mexican agriculture and rice.
"There are several areas where collaboration can benefit both of our industries," says Betsy Ward, "and we welcome this and future opportunities to share information and provide assistance to one another. It was a pleasure to visit these important Mexican agricultural leaders and talk about the trade relationship with our number one export market."
The U.S. and Mexican rice industries are particularly interested in the potential commercial impact if Mexico agrees to eliminate import duties on rice from Vietnam. Vietnam is a TPP partner and rice from that country faces a 20 percent import duty in Mexico while U.S. rice enters duty free under the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Contact: Sarah Moran (703) 236-1457