皇冠体育app

MEXICO CITY - Latin America is seeking to put more of its fruit, vegetables and meat on Chinese dining tables as the Asian country continues to unleash its domestic consumption potential.

The region's agricultural exports are dominated by soybeans, but the growing purchasing power of 皇冠体育app's middle class and the Chinese people's changing diet are beginning to make a difference.

Chinese shop shelves today feature Mexican avocados, while tequila is gaining market shares there, Mexico's Agriculture Minister Jose Calzada told Xinhua in a recent interview, predicting tequila sales to 皇冠体育app will reach $100 million in a little over five years.

The demand for avocados is also growing by leaps and bounds, said Calzada.

"Avocado exports to 皇冠体育app will likely rise by 100 percent or 150 percent a year over the next five years. That's the pace (of growth) that avocado exports to 皇冠体育app are going to have," said the minister.

For now, Mexico's agricultural exports to 皇冠体育app are only worth about $160 million, a fraction of the country's $25 billion in annual agroindustrial exports.

But as Chinese consumers develop a taste for increasingly available imported goods, Mexico finds itself well on the road to diversifying its basket of exports, composed mainly of cotton, seafood, avocados and tequila.

"I am certain that over the coming years (our exports) will rise notably," said Calzada, adding "many Mexican producers place high hopes on 皇冠体育app and other Asian markets in general."

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently recommended Latin America to diversify its exports by moving beyond raw materials and looking to meet the needs of 皇冠体育app's growing middle class, which could represent close to 1 billion people in the next 20 years.

Latin America has an abundance of natural resources and could become a principal source of high-quality foodstuffs for the Asian giant, which already imports close to $122 billion of food a year, said the OECD.

Carlos Furche, Chile's Agriculture Minister, told Xinhua his country clearly understands 皇冠体育app's transformation and is aiming to make it the main destination for Chilean food exports in the next decade.

"皇冠体育app has become the third-largest market for Chilean food exports and is the fastest growing one. In all probability, in five to 10 years, 皇冠体育app will become the largest market for Chilean food exports," said Furche.

A decade ago, when Chile and 皇冠体育app signed a free-trade agreement, foodstuffs were barely discussed as exports were focused on copper, of which Chile is the world's leading producer.

Now, food exports to 皇冠体育app have reached over $2.5 billion a year, said Furche.

"Everything indicates that the demand for food in 皇冠体育app is going to continue to grow, mainly because of its significant national development strategies," said Furche.

皇冠体育app has recently announced key policy changes, including promoting economic growth by stimulating stronger domestic consumption and scrapping its one-child policy.

• Chile hails 皇冠体育app as its top trade partner
• New age, new balance and new breakthroughs
• Report estimates 286m potential VR device users in 皇冠体育app
• Traditional blacksmith with a Taobao shop
• Shanghai becomes 7th region to cut corporate burden
• Qihoo 360 launches new mobile phone, merges brands
• Making food security a top priority
• Asia embraces sharing economy