Gov. Mark Dayton says a Minnesota delegation’s trip to Mexico this week is “the most productive trade mission I’ve been involved in.”

In a news conference call from Guadalajara, Dayton said the group of 44 higher education leaders, business executives, farmers and state officials signed five “memorandums of understanding” to promote more student and faculty exchanges and boost communication between “women in agriculture” in the two countries. They also met with Mexican business and government leaders to promote trade relations.

Dayton joined the trade mission in Mexico City on Monday. They will return to Minnesota on Friday.

“Mexico is now our second-largest trading partner after Canada,” the governor said.

Minnesota’s exports to Mexico increased 255 percent between 2004 and 2014. Sales to Mexico accounted for 10 percent of Minnesota’s total exports in 2014, said Kathleen Motzenbecker, executive director of the Minnesota Trade Office. Minnesota companies exported $2.2 billion in manufactured goods to Mexico last year.

The country also is a major market for Minnesota corn, soybeans and wheat, said state Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson. The trade mission helped Minnesota producers make important contacts.

“Coming down here, looking people in the eye, making a personal connection with someone who has an interest in either exporting product or importing product makes all the difference,” Frederickson said.

Dayton said he was the first Minnesota governor to visit Mexico in 15 years. “I will look for ways I can get back in the next 15 months,” he said, referring to the end of his term in office.

Follow Bill Salisbury at twitter.com/bsalisbury.