In order to link the sorghum producers of Tamaulipas with the Chinese market, the National Service of Health, Safety and Food Quality of Mexico (Senasica) detailed to the farmers the Protocol of Phytosanitary Requirements agreed with China, a framework that enables export this year to the Asian nation.

These actions are part of the diversification of global markets carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the head of the agency, Víctor Villalobos Arámbula, who in October 2020 signed by Mexico the sanitary protocol with China for the export of sorghum to that market.

With this agreement, the commercial relationship between Mexico and China is strengthened and progress is made in taking advantage of the agri-food potential of the two countries, as well as in their growth as exporting economies, an issue that in the agri-food sector has been strengthened in recent years, he stressed the holder of Agriculture.

The chief director of Senasica, an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Francisco Javier Trujillo Arriaga, indicated that the conditions established by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China to restrict the entry of pests and diseases into its territory are in accordance with the international requirements, so they should not represent an obstacle for Mexican farmers.

He added that after the signing of the Protocol, it is in the interest of the Government of Mexico to address the doubts of sorghum producers and marketers so that in the 2021 production cycle they can start shipping the product.

Senasica, he added, is committed to agri-food producers, so its technical staff will offer the necessary workshops and will attend to all requests for information.

In a videoconference with producers and marketers, the general director of Plant Health, Francisco Ramírez y Ramírez, explained that the sorghum that is planned to be exported to China corresponds to the processed grain of the Sorghum bicolor (L.) variety, which is for human consumption and It is grown mainly in Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, and Sinaloa.

He commented that, among the measures agreed with the Chinese government, the product must be free of soil and vegetable residues, weed seeds and other grains, as well as 18 quarantine pests of interest to China, such as the sorghum mildew fungus and the Chlorotic speckled virus of corn, rough dwarfism of corn and dwarf mosaic of corn, among others.

Also, he said, it must be free of insects such as the sorghum mosquita, diabrotica, corn borer, corn worm, corn beetle, Mexican grain beetle, borer, weevil and grain weevil, in addition to weeds of the sagebrush type, cadillo grass. , branch of the cross, trompillo, Johnson grass and alache.

To ensure that sorghum meets these requirements, the federal official explained that Senasica will carry out surveillance of pests during the growth stage and before the export season, and will also provide a report to the Chinese authorities that will include methods and results. of the surveillance process.

He indicated that among the phytosanitary pest control measures agreed with the sanitary authority of the Asian country, one stands out that states that sorghum must undergo a fumigation treatment to ensure that the product to be exported is free of insects.

Regarding the registration of the production units that can export the grain to China, he specified that Senasica, after analysis, will recommend to the authority of the Asian country those that meet the requirements to be audited and approved.

Ramírez and Ramírez explained that Mexican sorghum can be shipped in bulk or in new, clean, hygienic and ventilated packaging.

He indicated that if during the export any plague of quarantine interest is detected, the inspection of the production units could be carried out again and the expenses should be covered by the Mexican exporters.

The producers and marketers of Tamaulipas committed to work hand in hand with the Senasica technicians to meet the requirements of the Asian country and be able to start shipments in 2021.

Representatives of the Union Granera del Norte de Tamaulipas, the Agricultural Association of Matamoros and Río Bravo, as well as local producers and marketers participated in the videoconference.

According to the Agrifood and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP), it is estimated that the national production of grains and oilseeds 2020 was around 39.2 million tons, of which corn, sorghum and beans occupy 85 percent of the area sown.

The estimate reports that in 2020 the harvested area of ​​sorghum reached 1.3 million hectares and the average yield was 3.5 tons per hectare, which would represent an improvement of five percent compared to 2019; it could represent a larger harvest and reach 4.5 million tons.