The trade promotion offices of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, members of the Pacific Alliance, announced their plans to organise a virtual matchmaking roundtable to allow leading exporters from these economies to meet and do business with buyers in the United Kingdom.
This endeavour comes as a response to the disruption of international trade and the challenges on food supply caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which are affecting companies (especially SMEs) and consumers worldwide. As a result, Prochile, ProColombia, Promperú and the Ministry of Economy of Mexico, have decided to transform the 8th Business Matchmaking Forum of the Pacific Alliance – which would have been held in Santiago in June this year – into three market-focused roadshows under the name: “e-Business Roundtables”. These activities will reach several priority markets in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, starting with the UK in June 2020.
Considering the huge potential of a market with over 66 million consumers undergoing significant adjustments in consumption trends and supply chains, the Pacific Alliance is partnering with strategic British stakeholders to kick off this initiative in the UK during the week of the 29th of June. This matchmaking round will allow 60 experienced exporters from the four countries in the food and drinks sector to meet with close to 30 of Britain’s leading buyers in this segment.
"We are convinced that the only way to overcome this crisis and mitigate the damage inflicted by the crisis is through our ability to innovate and be creative. As ProChile, we are leading within the bloc to adapt to the changes that the current context demands of us," said the Managing Director of ProChile, Jorge O’Ryan Schütz.
“These activities will allow us to strengthen our economies as a bloc, particularly on the intra-regional trade and in reaching key markets, such as the UK and Asia. We will present ourselves as a single commercial force and a key ally for businesses, taking advantage of our exporting and productive potential,” said Flavia Santoro, President of Procolombia.
Sergio Silva, Head of the Global Economic Intelligence Unit at the Ministry of Economy said: “We are looking for these three e-Business Roundtables among the Pacific Alliance countries with the United Kingdom, Central America and Asia to become an opportunity for Mexican companies to establish different trade relations, now that we face a new international reality”.
“This is an important initiative from the bloc to adapt to these new conditions and utilise all the tools at our disposal, to maintain our efforts to strengthen commercial ties between the bloc and our partners,” added Luis Torres Paz, Executive President of PromPerú.
After the UK, the members of the Pacific Alliance will organise similar spaces in Central America, in August, and in Asia, at the end of September.
To register for this event, click here.
For more information:
ProChile
Tel: +56 2 33220000
Email: ifernandez@prochile.gob.cl
www.prochile.gob.cl