Guadalajara, Mexico - In a sign of growing agricultural cooperation between Mexico and China, last week, Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval officially dispatched the first shipment of Mexican blueberries to the Asian country on a flight from the Guadalajara International Airport.

The 630-kilo cargo comprised 420 boxes of the fruit cultivated in rural Jalisco.

"Berry cultivation has increased sharply in Jalisco. In 2012 there were 500 hectares under production across the state and by the end of 2016 this had risen to 8,648, giving a volume of 107,109 tonnes and generating about $1 billion in export revenue," said Hector Padilla Gutierrez, the head of SEDER, the State's Ministry of Rural Development.

The ministry's coordinator for international affairs, Raul Urteaga, added that Mexico is the world's second-largest producer of berries, including strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. The shipment represents Mexican blueberry's entry into China's "growing and very significant market," said Urteaga.

Efforts to open up new export markets have focused on high value markets such as Asia and the Middle East.

At the beginning of 2015 Mexico carried out its first raspberry shipment to China and this was followed last year by the first exports of raspberries and strawberries to Dubai and Kuwait and the first blackberry and raspberry shipments to Singapore.

The production of 'Made in Mexico' raspberries has doubled in the last three years, from 35,589 tons in 2014 to 73,556 tons in 2016. This berry is produced in eight entities, but the three main raspberry producing states are Jalisco, Baja California and Michoacan; together, these entities account for 99.8 percent of the national production. Last year, Jalisco produced 56,013 tons; Baja California, 9,965 tons, and Michoacan, 7,437 tons.

Since 2015, Jalisco-grown raspberries have been shipped to China, helping to boost the sector and generate employment. According to Governor Sandoval Diaz, the industry generates 44,000 jobs.

Emblematic Mexican agro-products are increasingly popular in China. According to the federal government, Mexican agricultural exports to China rose to $150 million in 2015, and experts say the right agreements could see more Mexican agricultural products enter the Chinese market.

Mexican dairy products, corn, beef, tobacco and berries are currently exported to China, and negotiations are underway to add bananas to the list.