Argentina's government said there was great potential to significantly increase the country's and the region's fruit exports, after detecting a significant demand from certain countries. To achieve this, they added, its imperative to improve quality.
At the launch of the Argentina Exporta Program, an event that was led by President Mauricio Macri and held at the CCK in downtown Buenos Aires, Chancellor Jorge Faurie stated that "we have detected that, apart from demanding red meats and poultry, Southeast Asia has a demand for seasonal fruits and winter fruits."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that "there are many opportunities, but the fruit must arrive in mint conditions to its destination, it can't have a single stain." Which is why he urged the sector to work very hard on the quality of the exportable products and on their competitiveness
According to a recent report on the evolution of exports by the INDEC, the four main destinations for Rio Negro exports are the European Union, which absorbs 27.2% of shipments, NAFTA with 23.6%, the CIS with 20.8%, and Mercosur with 18.8%. Pear and apple exports account for 82.6% of shipments.
According to the report, Neuquen's main export products were pears, organic chemicals, and apples, in that order. The main export destinations of the province were Mercosur, with 38.2% of shipments, followed by the European Union, Chile, and NAFTA, states the report.
Rio Negro was able to talk with Production and Foreign Ministry officials, who agreed that improvement of the exchange rate was helping the sector but that there still was a long way to go to significantly increase regional export levels, in this case of fruit. "That's why the sectoral tables are being created. It is possible that we'll go to Rio Negro and Neuquen in the coming days to directly contact producers and, together with them, plan solutions to the issues and find mechanisms to continue increasing exports," said one of the sources consulted.
Source: reionegro.com.ar
