MEXICO CITY - Negotiations to open China's market to avocados from Mexico's west-central state of Jalisco are making headway, after Chinese health officials verified the production protocols, Mexico's government said on Sunday.

Experts from China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) visited four avocado farms and two packing facilities in the towns of Tonila, Tuxpan and Zapotlan El Grande to inspect procedures.

Mexico's Ministry of Agriculture said that to prepare, the sector studied and applied good agricultural practices, including monitoring the plants for pests.

"The Chinese authorities underscored the progress made by Mexican health officials, as well as the solid ties of friendship and cooperation that exist between the two countries," the ministry said in a statement.

Mexico is the world's leading exporter of avocado, earning $2.227 billion in 2016 from foreign sales of the fruit, and Jalisco is Mexico's second-largest producer of the fruit.

China is today among the 10 leading markets for Mexican avocados, with demand skyrocketing in the past four years as China's growing middle-class are becoming more fond of the product.