The U.S. and Mexico renewed the U.S.-Mexico Consultative Committee on Agriculture in March, and the bilateral forum met Tuesday for its inaugural meeting.
"The United States and Mexico held constructive, wide-ranging discussions today on a host of critical issues facing our agricultural sectors. Key among them is full implementation of the remaining provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 2008," says Mark E. Keenum, USDA Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services.
Among other outcomes, the parties agreed to conduct several technical assistance projects in Mexico in the corn and dry bean areas to help prepare Mexican producers for NAFTA implementation.
Officials also discussed pending U.S. and Mexican farm legislation, biotechnology, and a number of sanitary and phytosanitary issues. The next U.S. Mexico CCA meeting, to be hosted by Mexico, is tentatively scheduled for November 2007.