USDA Expands Beef & Pork Trade with Mexico and Peru

High Plains Journal
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April 23, 2015

"Mexico is an important market for U.S. cattle producers, with the potential to import $15 million of live U.S. cattle per year," said the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack.

Dodge City, Kansas - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently reached agreements allowing U.S. beef and pork producers greater access to consumers in Mexico and Peru.

The two agreements announced will allow U.S. producers to export slaughter cattle to Mexico and expand access to consumer markets in Peru for U.S. fresh and chilled pork. The secretary made the announcements during a meeting with producers in Des Moines, Iowa.

"Our priority at the USDA is not only to open or reopen markets for our producers, but to help drive U.S. economic growth through trade by supporting and creating American jobs on and off the farm," said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. "Mexico is an important market for U.S. cattle producers, with the potential to import $15 million of live U.S. cattle per year, and Peru's market could generate $5 million annually in additional pork sales."

The United States and Mexico reached an agreement that takes effect immediately and will allow U.S. producers to export slaughter cattle to Mexico for the first time in over a decade. The USDA has been working with Mexico since 2008 to reopen this market and the final agreement was reached between USDA Under Secretary Ed Avalos and Enrique Sanchez-Cruz with SAGARPA during meetings recent in Washington, D.C.

Exporters and producers can find the required documents on the APHIS website or through their local veterinary services office.
Similarly, USDA has conducted extensive negotiations with Peru's Servicio National De Sanidad Agraria since 2012 to expand access for U.S. fresh, chilled pork and pork products. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service export library will be updated to the new export requirements for these pork and pork products exports.
"More than 1 million people go to work every day thanks to exports of American-grown products. Expanded U.S. agricultural exports mean more new jobs, but our farmers and ranchers will miss out on new markets for American products if Congress doesn't act on Trade Promotion Authority early this year and if we don't continue to build support for a Trans-Pacific Partnership with Asian nations."

USDA continues its push to eliminate all remaining trade barriers to U.S. cattle and cattle products stemming from past detections of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. USDA Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service continues to work with its trading partners to ensure any unnecessary requirements for U.S. origin beef are eliminated. The World Organization for Animal Health considers the United States' to have negligible risk for BSE. This is OIE's lowest risk category for this disease.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture continuously seeks opportunities for U.S. agricultural products and producers to expand access to overseas markets and contribute to a positive U.S. trade balance, to create jobs and to support economic growth. The past six years have represented the strongest period for American agricultural exports in the history of our country. In fiscal year 2014 American farmers and ranchers exported a record $152.5 billion of food and agricultural products to consumers worldwide.

Original article

Peru, Mexico Sign Tourism Cooperation Pact

bernama.com

LIMA, July 22 (BERNAMA-NNN-ANDINA) -- Peru and Mexico have embarked on a specific cooperation program designed to perform joint and concrete activities for the development of economic and tourism potential in both countries.

The document was signed by Peru's Foreign Trade and Tourism Ministry (Mincetur) through its Export and Tourism Promotion Board (Promperu), and the Mexican Secretariat of Tourism (Sectur).

This pact will allow both units to promote the exchange of experiences and information based on their development projects of tourism, rural tourism and gastronomy.

"We will share our experience and good practices in rural tourism and gastronomy, while Mexico will provide its knowledge through the program Magic Towns and the development of thematic routes," said Magali Silva, Peru's Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister.

Likewise, two seminars will be held as part of the joint activities: one in Lima, Peru during the second half of 2014, and another in Mexico City during the first half of 2015.

In addition, the two nations will further strengthen cooperation within the framework of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Pacific Alliance, or any other international organization and forum they belong to.Peru to set up value chains to consolidate tourism sector

Meanwhile Peru needs to articulate value chains in tourism to fully exploit the sector's potential and sustain the growth of this employment-intensive industry along the inner regions, according to the National Center of Strategic Planning (Ceplan).

The national director of strategy and foresight studies at Ceplan, Fredy Vargas Lama, said tourism in the Andean country is a growing industry as the number of foreign visitors has been on the rise over the last years.

"Tourism in Peru has a key importance for its job creation potential and its people-centered approach," he said addressing a high-level event titled 'Future of Tourism in Peru' held in the nation's capital Lima.

Vargas underlined the country needs a platform for meeting the demand of European countries which are the largest source of tourists worldwide, accounting for 52 percent of international travelers.

Nevertheless, he said, developing nations such as Brazil and China and other emerging economies are playing an enhanced role in this matter.

-- BERNAMA-NNN-ANDINA

Presidents of Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Peru Sign Regional Accord

laht.com
The accord eliminates tariffs on 92 percent of the goods and services exchanged among the four member states

CARTAGENA, Colombia – The presidents of the member nations of the Pacific Alliance on Monday signed an Additional Protocol to liberalize the exchange of goods, services and investments within the bloc.

The agreement was signed by the presidents of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos; Chile, Sebastian Piñera; Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto; and Peru, Ollanta Humala at the closing ceremony of the 8th Pacific Alliance Summit.

The accord, which was called “historic” by Peña Nieto, eliminates tariffs on 92 percent of the goods and services exchanged among the four member states.

The remaining 8 percent, including “sensitive” agricultural products, will be the subject of additional talks in which sugar will not be included at the request of some of the members.

The protocol signed Monday is the first addition to the June 6, 2012, Framework Agreement that launched the Pacific Alliance at the summit in Cerro Paranal, Chile.

“This is the most innovative integration mechanism that Mexico has signed in recent years,” said Peña Nieto, adding that the countries making up the Alliance are preparing to create “a more productive and more competitive region.”

Piñera, meanwhile, said that the accord shows that the Alliance “has born fruit that benefits the quality of life of our peoples.”

He said that the Alliance “has been successful, a community of principles” in which “the worth of freedom, of democracy, of the state of law ... (along with) innovation and entrepreneurship” have special weight.

“This is an unprecedented step that is being taken in the region and which has awakened the interest and curiosity of the international community. Therefore, there is a very significant number of countries who are accredited as observers and others who are requesting to join,” said Humala.

The host of the gathering, Santos, said that the protocol signed on Monday “translates ... into more investment, more competitiveness and ... more jobs, good quality jobs.”

World Celebrating Christmas Today: Tallest Christ Statues in the world

aegindia.org

Christmas is today and people celebrate the festival with gifts, chocolates and cakes.  On this Christmas day, let us read about tallest Christ statues in the world. These statues can be found in Peru, Mexico, Brazil and other countries.

Mexico City: Christmas Day is special day for many people in the world.  This is one of the most celebrated festival and is the birthday of Jesus Christmas.  Different countries celebrate the festival in different ways.  On this special day, let us read about the tallest statue of Jesus Christ set up in different countries.

Christ The King (Poland): This statue is of 33 meters long.  The crown is another 3 meters long.  This was constructed in Swiebodzin area in Poland.  If the crown is also considered, this is the tallest Christ statue on the earth.  This was built with concrete and fiber.  It weighs more than 440 tonnes. 

Christ the Redeemer (Brazil):  This statue is considered the second longest statue in the world. This was constructed in Tijuca national park.  From here one can see the Reo city.  Soapstone was used in the construction of the statue. This was made between 1922 and 31.  This is one of the second new wonders in the world.

Christo Rey, Mexico: This statue is of 67 feet long this is constructed on the Cubilete mountain in Mexico in 1944.  This is one of the important religious centers in the country.  This was built in honor of Cristeros.

Christ The Redeemer of Maratea (Italy): This is 69.8 meters long.  This was built with blue-gray marble stone.  Construction of the statue began in 1963 and was completed in 1965.

Christo De Las Noas (Mexico): Construction of this statue began in 1973 and it took 178 years to complete the project.  There is also a restaurant near the temple.

Christ of the Sacred Heart (Mexico): Height of the statue is 23 meters.  This is in Mexico near Rosarito town.  Steel and Fiber are used in the construction. It weighs 40 tonnes.  Head, chest and hands of the statue are made in steel and other parts are made in Fiber.

The Broken Christ: This statue is also in Mexico and was constructed on 3 meters pedestal.  The statue has only one leg and one hands.  Every year huge numbers of devotees come to see the statue.

Mexican envoy positive about role of a network of middle-power nations

Foreign ministers of MIKTA pose for a photo during the first meeting in New York, Sept. 25. / Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

By Kim Se-jeong
 koreatimes.co.kr
 

Mexican Ambassador Jose Luis Bernal

MIKTA is a new acronym in diplomatic circles.

It represents five countries — Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia — a group of “middle power” nations that recently launched a dialogue forum.

The official opening was in September in New York where five foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Amid the strong presence of BRICs — Brazil, Russia, India and China — will MIKTA be able to survive, and have long-term influence?

The ambassador of Mexico in Seoul says he is positive about the future. His country is the first to hold the secretariat role in MIKTA.

“We share what we have in common, although we are not similar. And together we can get our act together to solve issues like climate change,” Ambassador Jose Luis Bernal told The Korea Times last week.

He also noted the gap-bridging role some members of MIKTA are playing, which to him is a significant contributing factor in increasing cooperation in global affairs.

The five countries are currently brainstorming on issues of shared interest about which all five can speak together. The members are also working to come up with a framework for the group.

Climate change, democratization, United Nations reform and nuclear disarmament are very much shared, while issues such as cyber space security and international development were sought by the Korean govern in particular.

As a consultative body, MIKTA remains without a specific interest as seen in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) or ASEAN with a strong economic interest.

Ambassador Bernal also reiterated the importance of different networks in contemporary-era diplomacy.

There is an increasing number of nation groupings based on geographical and economic interests. The most dynamic stage is international trade where new bilateral and multilateral tariff-free, or reduced, trade partnerships are formed.

Korea and Mexico are part of APEC and the Pacific Alliance, a group of four Latin American countries on the Pacific Rim — Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru — with a focus on Asia. Korea is an observer at the Pacific Alliance. The Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations involving 12 countries are currently underway, and Korea is reportedly contemplating joining.

As far as bilateral relations are concerned, the ambassador, who is three months into the job in Korea, signaled a shifted priority in signing the free trade agreement with Korea.

In bilateral trade, Mexico has suffered a significant deficit for a long time, and has sought to narrow the deficit gap via the accord.

“Mexico has its own source of surplus with other countries,” he said. Korea’s exports to Mexico are around $11.5 billion, whereas Mexico is at $3.5 billion.

A meeting between presidents of the two countries last week in Bali agreed on finding ways to restart the negotiations which have been on hold since 2008 after the second round of negotiations.

A trade ministry official following the issue and the leaders’ Bali meeting said that Korea is willing to resume negotiations, whereas Mexico is confronting political challenges domestically.

Mexico’s strong agricultural sector, including cultivation of avocados, onions, limes and lemons and asparagus, is anticipated to be the biggest beneficiary of the accord. However, so far, the endeavor to open the Korean market has been unsuccessful due to strict quarantine requirements.

Pacific Alliance liberalizes trade

 

 

Economic bloc is seventh-largest source of FDI
 
BY MANUELA BADAWY
Reuters

NEW YORK – The presidents of Colombia, Peru and Chile, and Mexico’s minister of economy agreed on Wednesday to liberalize 92 percent of their countries’ goods and services as part of the nascent regional economic integration bloc, The Pacific Alliance.

“We have just reached an agreement to liberalize trade between the four countries for 92 percent of the goods, and we are going to reach 99 percent in three to seven years,” Chilean President Sebastián Piñera told business representatives attending the first Pacific Alliance Summit.

Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile are on the path of free trade and consolidation to strengthen their economies and create a more seamless and easier environment to do business.

The economic bloc, created less than three years ago, is the world’s seventh-largest recipient of foreign direct investment, attracting $71 billion in 2012.

These four countries, major allies of the United States in Latin America, were disappointed by U.S.

President Barack Obama’s shortcoming in not mentioning the region in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

“I was a bit sad yesterday that President Obama did not mention Latin America, not one single time,” Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos told an audience attending The Pacific Alliance business summit.

“He mentioned the Middle East. He mentioned China. But not one single country in Latin America was mentioned in his speech. The strategy for the United States lies South of Rio Grande. Businessmen know where the strategic opportunities are,” Santos added.

The economic bloc has investment potential for infrastructure projects that amount to almost $56 billion.
“We are advancing in many other areas such as infrastructure integration, customs integration, capital markets and energy,” Piñera said.

One example of the integration has been consolidation of embassies and commercial offices abroad.

“We already have four embassies under one roof in Ghana,” Mexican Economy Minister Idelfonso Guajardo said.

He added that citizens of the economic bloc do not need tourist visas, so the number of Peruvian, Colombian and Chilean visitors to his country has increased.

Peruvian President Ollanta Humala said that although the Pacific Alliance is an economic bloc, the group created a scholarship fund so their citizens can study in any of the four countries. The alliance will also work to improve university accreditation.

The Pacific Alliance has 210 million people, the majority of them young, and their combined economies make 35 percent of Latin America gross domestic product.

“One country can go fast, but together can advance faster and better,” Humala said.