Representatives from the two countries signed the agreement to streamline commercial transactions and make them more transparent.

Chile’s minister of agriculture, Carlos Furche, and Mexico’s minister of agriculture, livestock, rural development, fisheries, and food, José Eduardo Calzada, signed a trade agreement (link in Spanish) that will allow them to take the necessary steps toward implementing an electronic certification process between the two countries.

Also present at the meeting were the director of the Agriculture and Livestock Service, Ángel Sartori, and the director of Mexico’s National Service Agro-alimentary Public Health, Safety, and Quality (SENASICA), Enrique Sánchez Cruz. The officials analyzed trade in agro-silvo-pastoral products with business people from the sector.

Once it is implemented, the electronic certification procedure (link in Spanish) will help streamline the processes for checking, authenticating, and validating goods. The exporter or producer will request a certificate of origin through the organization’s website that will then be sent to them via email, a process that will require all parties to have electronic signatures. Customs authorities will verify, in real-time, whether the certificate of origin is valid and up-to-date.

Chile proposed using the same electronic certificate of origin initiative with China in April 2015. To date, the two countries have held two working meetings to move toward implementing the scheme.