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Washington delegation in Mexico for trade mission

By Mai Hoang, Yakima Herald-Republic
Published: May 16, 2017, 5:55pm

YAKIMA — A delegation of state government and business officials are in Mexico this week for a trade mission focused on various industries, including agriculture.

Those traveling to Guadalajara, a city in the Mexican state of Jalisco, and Mexico City include Gov. Jay Inslee, representatives from the state departments of Commerce and Agriculture, the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle, local business leaders and other government representatives.

Agricultural representatives on the trade mission are mostly from the dairy industry, including those from the Dairy Farmers of Washington.

State commerce and agriculture officials said that while representatives are mostly from the Seattle area, the delegation will attend several meetings where issues impacting the Yakima Valley’s agriculture industry will be discussed.

That includes a tour of a Mexican wholesale produce market in Guadalajara given by a Mexican representative who has worked with the Washington Apple Commission and Northwest Cherry Growers.

“Yakima County dairy farmers and fruit farmers will benefit from (the state Department of Agriculture) and other groups maintaining trade connections with Mexico’s government and business leaders,” said Mike Louisell, a spokesman with the state Department of Agriculture. “There are accomplishments resulting from any trade mission–some are immediate benefits and some benefits are long term in being realized.”

The Mexico City portion of the trade mission, which starts Wednesday, will also include a series of discussions on the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. Recently, President Donald Trump said he would renegotiate rather than terminate the agreement. The agreement is a crucial one for the apple industry. Mexico, along with Canada, buys about 40 percent of the state’s exports, according to figures cited by the Washington Apple Commission.

Gov. Inslee, who will travel to Mexico City on May 19, will also meet with Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Videgaray, Secretary for the Environment Rafael Pacchiano Alam?n, Secretary of Agriculture Jos? Eduardo Calzada Rovirosa. He will also meet with U.S. Ambassador Roberta Jacobsen and other high ranking government officials.

During those meetings, Inslee and Videgaray intend to sign a memorandum of understanding on clean energy.

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