Mexico City - The National Confederation of Potato Producers of the Mexican Republic (CONPAPA) held its XXXIII Ordinary General Assembly, in which the work plan for this year was announced, and the challenges facing the Mexican food sector in a context of high volatility in international trade were addressed, essentially as a result of the new policies promoted by the government of the United States of America.
During the assembly, the activities carried out in 2024 were also announced, the first year of the management of Eng. Gildardo González Saldívar as president of CONPAPA, an organization that for more than 30 years has represented the country's potato producers, has taken care of the phytosanitary status of the Mexican potato sector and with it the safety and plant health of the Mexican countryside, contributing to the task of guaranteeing national food sovereignty.
In the presence of authorities from the National Service of Health, Safety, and Agri-Food Quality (SENASICA), and producers from various states of the country, the President of CONPAPA announced that they are working together with this agency so that this year the first shipment of fresh Mexican potatoes will be sent to the United States, coming from states such as Sinaloa and Sonora, pointing out that they are currently awaiting permits granted by authorities from both Mexico and the neighboring country.
In this regard, Eng. Víctor González Páez, Vice President of CONPAPA, elaborated on this topic. “In the first stage, northern Sinaloa and southern Sonora are the first states that will have the capacity to do so. There are already three packing plants and more than 500 hectares close to being certifiable, and I mention this as a milestone, because I believe that this will trigger strong investments in the sector, not only in these states but in all those that produce potatoes. I believe that this will benefit us all, because on the other side there is a great demand for a fresh and quality product, which has a different flavor than the potatoes there,” he reported.
In his speech, Gildardo González reiterated that CONPAPA belongs to all and is for all producers and that his commitment continues to be to work to strengthen CONPAPA, for the benefit of its members and the entire national agri-food sector, by strengthening the production and marketing of Mexican potatoes, as well as with the phytosanitary care of the sector. “We have been working with SENASICA on a project on the phytosanitary care of our sector, a topic of great importance to us.”
Regarding the different measures announced by the United States government consisting of the imposition of unilateral tariffs on Mexican product exports, the President of CONPAPA expressed his full support and solidarity with the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum and her Government, celebrating the negotiating strategy of the President and her team to confront them and offering the support of CONPAPA to assist in the design and implementation of a comprehensive action plan to neutralize these unjustified and discriminatory measures, safeguard the competitiveness of the national industry and defend Mexico's commercial rights and interests abroad, doing so in a manner consistent with our international commitments.