Mexico has set up its first consulate in south India in Chennai that will cater to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This is the Latin American country’s third consulate in India, with the other two being in Mumbai and Kolkata, Mexico’s Ambassador to India, Melba Pria said.
The Ambassador said the country was exploring Free Trade Agreement with India.
Ramkumar Varadarajan, Managing Director, Shri Govindaraja Textiles, has been appointed Honorary Consul.
“Bilateral trade between the two countries is about $7 billion. It has grown nearly 400 per cent since 2004. Almost half of our export to India is oil,” Ms. Pria said at a press conference ahead of the inauguration of the Consulate.
She said that for the first time, Mexico had overtaken Brazil as the top destination of India’s exports to Latin America. India’s exports to Mexico were $2.8 billion in 2015-16.
High-level visits Ms. Pria said Mexico was interested in the Make in India programme, adding that there were possibilities to produce good quality products and network through the local markets.
“South Asia and South East Asia are becoming important markets,” she said.
A number of high-level visits are expected over the next few months, with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj likely to visit the Latin American nation, and a conclave of FICCI and CII in Mexico over the course of the next two months.
While around 50,000 Indians visited Mexico in 2015, about 15,000 Mexicans visited India, Ms. Pria said.
She added that an increasing number of Mexicans were touring India and the e-visa scheme introduced by the Indian government was an advantage.
The Consulate in Chennai would serve as a liaison with the business community in south India and cater to the increasing number of Mexicans visiting the region.
