Over the past few years, Mexico has started to export asparagus to the European Union, developed a niche market selling horse meat to Belgium and even discovered a business selling marigolds to India.

The efforts are part of the most serious push in decades to reduce Mexico’s huge dependence on the US market and to diversify its exports – both in terms of product and destination. “Diversification is one of the dominating priorities of this administration,” says Bruno Ferrari, a Mexican entrepreneur now in charge of ProMéxico, the government’s investment promotion agency.