The Diplomat
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, received this week the Ambassador of Japan, Kenji Hiramatsu, with whom he addressed issues of interest in agri-food matters for both countries, including the dissemination of Japanese cuisine in Spain and Spanish cuisine in Japan.
During the meeting, as reported by the Japanese Embassy in Madrid, Planas and Hiramatsu “exchanged views on the intensification of trade in agricultural and fisheries products between Japan and Spain, the common agricultural policy of the European Union, and the dissemination of Japanese cuisine in Spain, among other issues”.
The meeting took place last Monday, coinciding with the second anniversary of the economic partnership agreement between the European Union and Japan. This agreement, as Planas pointed out during the meeting, has allowed the elimination or reduction of tariffs on products as important for Spain as pork, wine, beef or cheese and has facilitated the mutual recognition of geographical indications (211 in the EU, of which 42 are Spanish) and the streamlining of certain administrative procedures.
“All this has favored trade with the Japanese country, with which Spain maintains good trade relations,” according to the Ministry. In fact, Japan is the third world destination for Spanish agri-food exports to countries outside the European Union, behind China and the United States, “with significant growth prospects for pork, olive oil and wine, and room for growth for dairy, beef and poultry”, it added.
In addition, during the meeting, according to the Ministry, Planas and Hiramatsu also addressed the dissemination of Japanese cuisine in Spain and Spanish cuisine in Japan and the promotion and protection of geographical indications of both countries.
