The first 21 tons of pineapples exported from Colombia to Argentina, worth USD12,000, arrived on Friday.
The pineapples, grown in the Valle del Cauca and Cauca departments, was shipped to Argentina at the beginning of September through the port of Buenaventura. Last May, the ICA and the health authority of Argentina defined the entry requirements of this Colombian fruit to that market
This product is part of the Agro Exporta Alliance, an initiative of the Ministries of Commerce, Industry and Tourism and Agriculture, which seeks to send Colombian countryside products that have an export potential to new markets.
The Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Jose Manuel Restrepo, said this achievement was part of the policy of exploitation of trade agreements, which seeks to increase exports from the diversification of non-mining energy products and of markets.
Restrepo said this was also due to the efforts and vision of companies like Bengala, who are making this first shipment.
The company, located in Valle del Cauca, will sell its product to Coto, one of the large supermarkets in Argentina. They have already agreed on a supply program to dispatch the fruit every 15 days.
This company currently exports its products to Chile, the United States, the European Union, and, starting Saturday, to Argentina.
"The Latin American market provides us with a great opportunity to increase exports. Argentina is our spearhead. We are already asking the ICA to advance the process of admissibility in Uruguay, Peru, and Brazil," stated Bengala's Commercial Manager, Mauricio Lopez.
Last year, Colombian pineapple exports amounted to nearly USD 11 million, i.e. almost 10% more than the USD 10 million achieved in 2016.
Colombia exported its pineapples to Italy, the United States, Chile, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Turkey, among other destinations.
Source: elheraldo.co
