Texas Department of Agriculture Hosts Tamaulipas Secretary of Rural Development (12/5/2016)

Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) officials today welcomed their counterpart from the neighboring Mexican border state of Tamaulipas, Secretary of Rural Development Gonzalo Alemán Migliolo, to Austin. Secretary Migliolo came to Texas following his nomination to the post by the newly-elected Governor of Tamaulipas Francisco Garcia Cabeza de Vaca. Governor Cabeza de Vaca visited with Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller in Austin in September.

TDA Deputy Commissioner Jason Fearneyhough, Assistant Commissioner Walt Roberts and Assistant Commissioner Dan Hunter were all on hand to discuss border-related agriculture issues with Secretary Migliolo, including invasive pest eradication, citrus greening and citrus canker spread, and new inspection points along the Texas-Mexico border. The group also discussed a USDA inspection point located closer to central Mexico that would catch suspect produce shipments and reject them before they traveled closer to the international border.

“We are excited about working with our counterpoints from Mexico to focus on issues that are important to the agriculture industries in both Texas and Mexico, so we can make positive changes on both sides of the border,” Deputy Commissioner Fearneyhough said. “It was an honor to host Secretary Migliolo and his delegation from Tamualipas today, and we look forward to working with them to protect consumers and ag producers in Texas and Mexico.”

TDA is the leading state agency dedicated to expanding opportunities for Texas agriculture through domestic and international market development initiatives. Accordingly, Commissioner Miller has worked successfully with Mexican officials on many U.S.-Mexico border issues, and he is committed to exploring new partnership opportunities between Texas and Tamaulipas to foster growth and increase security in both states.

Many of Texas’ U.S. points of entry such as Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Nuevo Progreso and Reynosa are located in Tamaulipas, which is home to a diverse economy with agriculture, maquiladora and petrochemical sectors. Governor-elect Francisco Garcia Cabeza de Vaca is a member of the National Action Party (PAN) and will take office in February 2017 for a six-year term as the governor of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.