WELLINGTON: New Zealand aims to become the distribution center for Mexican food products in the Asian market in view of the possible entry into force of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, said the ambassador of the country in Mexico, Claire Kelly. New Zealand has free trade agreements with both China and the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which would encourage Mexican investments in this sector.
Kelly also stated that, apart from being an export platform for Mexican products in Asia, New Zealand, which is inhabited by 4.5 million people, could be an ideal market for Mexican fruits and vegetables. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, New Zealand purchased nearly 209 million dollars in Mexican products in 2014. “We also want to increase imports of fruits and vegetables. This takes a longer time due to health issues. There is much interest in importing limes, more mangos and avocados, but Mexico has a lot of fruit that would be interesting to import,” Kelly said.
