Jalisco, Mexico - The lack of protocols and air corridors between Jalisco and the Chinese province of Henan have hampered the massive export of berries to East Asia, said the delegate of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) in Jalisco, Francisco Javier Guizar Macias.

The official admitted that they had only exported 40 tons so far, and said that he hoped things would be solved in the first half of 2016.

"We are still working on an air corridor between Guadalajara and Henan, China. The Chinese Government is making that province a sort of dry port to import different products so that they can be distributed later. This would be the first direct air corridor to China. The problem is that we continue sending our products to China via Chicago, Alaska or Hong Kong, when it is best to send them directly," he said.

Guizar Macias said the Chinese phytosanitary and quality control protocols were very strict but that, "most of the Jalisco producers have adapted to the rules because they are very disciplined and eager to do business."

According to the official, one of the windows of opportunity that producers had was to use air travel to place high value-added products and focus on the 300 million Chinese consumers who had a strong purchasing power. Producers want to place organic products in this market.

"We'll have an air corridor to China and we'll make good use of it. There are other organic products we can place there and there are 300 million people who want to buy high quality products in this market. We will specialize in beef, berries, avocado, and tequila in this market; products that make a profit, just like the organic products do," he said.

Leading Exporter

Jalisco is one of the leading exporters of agricultural products. It is a national leader in the production of eggs, milk, pork, berries, Chia and tequila, so it has managed to place its products in 52 countries worldwide. Just a year ago, the state government announced it would be exporting berries to China thanks to its management efforts.