MEXICO CITY, MEXICO — The Russian embassy is ready to assist suppliers looking to expand grain exports to Mexico, Viktor Koronelli, the Russian ambassador in Mexico, told Sputnik.

“There is an interest in discussing the expansion of grain exports,” Koronelli said. “(Russian) grain producers, the United Grain Company, approached the embassy the other day with a request to assist them in reaching out to potential partners to expand exports. We, of course, will try to provide them with this assistance. Russian producers have such opportunities and intentions (to increase grain exports), there are reasons to believe that the exports will grow.”

Koronelli told Sputnik that trade between Russia and Mexico has been trending up.

“We have an intensive trade, (the benchmark of) $2.5 billion has already been reached,” he said. “This already exceeds last year’s figure. In Latin America, (Mexico) has larger trade only with Brazil.”

According to the Mexican Agriculture Ministry, Russia’s wheat exports to Mexico have increased sharply over the past six years. In 2017, the ministry said Russia supplied 356,000 tonnes of wheat to Mexico, up from 88,000 tonnes in 2012.