(NAFB.com) – The Department of Agriculture is expanding its footprint in Mexico by opening the Foreign Agricultural Service’s newest foreign office in Guadalajara last week. FAS Administrator Daniel Whitley says, “The decision to establish this new office reflects the importance of our agriculture and trade relationship with Mexico.” Whitley presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 11 with Consul General Amy Scanlon from the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara. U.S.-Mexico bilateral trade in agricultural and related products reached a record of more than $76 billion in 2023, benefiting the entire supply chain, from producers to processors to shippers to consumers, making high-quality farm and food products more readily available on both sides of the border. Guadalajara is Mexico’s second-largest city and is the capital of the of the of Jalisco in west-central Mexico. The region is considered Mexico’s breadbasket, home to large agricultural production and processing industries, and an important economic, cultural, and commercial center.