The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Julio Berdegue, and his Chilean counterpart, Maria Ignacia Fernandez, signed a General Agreement on Technical and Scientific Cooperation and a Specific Agreement on Plant Health.

They also agreed on a roadmap to speed up joint projects, ease agri-food trade, and strengthen health security for the benefit of producers in both countries, according to a press release.

Berdegue welcomed this instrument, considering it a reflection of the interest in promoting the primary sector and addressing the challenges in both nations, particularly those related to climate change.

“President Claudia Sheinbaum’s instruction is to deepen and advance in strengthening this relationship with Latin American countries, and in particular with Chile, because we have a very deep history of relations,” he said.

In Fernandez’s view, in a challenging context, Chile and Mexico are deepening their common agenda—technical-scientific cooperation, plant and animal health, and trade facilitation (electronic certification)—under sustainable standards.

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