VILNIUS — Lithuanian Agriculture Minister Bronius Markauskas on Tuesday said he expects to speed up procedures for Lithuanian food exports to reach the Chinese market.

His comments came ahead of a visit to China by a delegation of Lithuanian meat and dairy producers.

Markauskas highlighted that the Chinese market is attractive to Lithuanian food producers due to its size. "The Chinese market is one of the most profitable, and, of course, largest," Markauskas told local media.

Last year, Lithuanian dairy producers received permissions to export their production to Chinese market and in recent months have sent trial products to China.

Markauskas emphasized efforts to increase exchanges with the Chinese side in order to help Lithuanian companies in accessing Chinese market.

In recent years, Lithuanian diplomats and officials have been trying to help food producers gain access to Chinese market amid efforts to diversify food exports.

In 2014, Lithuanian food producers, especially dairy and meat companies, were hard hit by Russia's embargo on food imports from the European Union. Russia was one of the main exports markets for Lithuanian food companies.