The US Customs and Border Protection and Mexico’s Tax Administration Service have signed an agreement aimed at facilitating trade between the countries.
The countries last week agreed to recognise each other’s Authorized Economic Operator programs — the customs/border protection agency’s Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and Mexico’s New Certified Companies Scheme — which permit companies enrolled in one programme to receive reciprocal benefits from the other, making trade easier, according to a CBP news release.
The agreement is expected to be implemented in two years.
Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, told The Packer that the agreement represented a very important step towards streamlining overall trade between the two countries.
If a company’s supply chain is certified by one country to be secure against threats such as narcotics trafficking, bioterrorism or other areas of concern, Jungmeyer is reported as saying, then the other country will mutually recognise that certification.
“Efforts like this will pay huge dividends in the future, and hopefully allow fresh produce from trusted shippers to sail through the border much quicker,” he said.
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