In one of the large halls of the Rosario River Station that overlooks the banks of the Paraná River, the governor of Santa Fe, Maximiliano Pullaro, inaugurated the Santa Fe Business Foruma meeting that brings together companies from 40 countries and which is part of the official strategy to turn the province into the main exporting district from Argentina.
“We are the invincible province, the one that will bring Argentina forward,” Pullaro said in his opening speech. And with that conviction, shared with his economic officials, he revealed the intention to turn it into “the most productive, the main exporter”.
“We are the countryside, the industry, the trade, but we are also the ports and the universities that generate knowledge, and we are convinced that this is the route that will take our country forward,” added Pullaro, in front of a packed auditorium.
The opening ceremony held in the Embarcadero Hall was also attended by the Mayor of Rosario, Pablo Javkin; the provisional President of the Senate, Felipe Michlig; the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Clara García; the Ministers of Productive Development, Gustavo Puccini; of Government and Public Innovation, Fabián Bastía; and of Economy, Pablo Olivares. Also present were the Undersecretary for the Promotion of Exports and Investments of the Argentine Foreign Ministry, Ramiro Velloso, and the Secretary of Foreign Trade of the province, Georgina Losada, among others.
In turn, Georgina Losada reinforced the governor’s position: “Santa Fe is today the second largest exporter in the country and we aim to be the first in 2030,” said.
The province has a strong agro-industrial and metalworking complex. It exports about US$24 billion a yearwhich represent around 25% of national exports, as detailed to Scope the official.
To be number one in exports must surpass the province of Buenos Aireswhich currently holds that status.
The convening of the Forum is one of aces up the sleeve that the governor has to position his district at the top of the podium. The participation of 200 delegates from foreign companies and 1,000 local companies (of which 80% are from Santa Fe), resulted in the programming of 3,100 bilateral meetings to close deals.
Foreigners come to the country with the intention of find suppliers of the most varied products in different sectors of the economy. And Argentine companies are eager to match with someone interested in buying their products.
During the three days of the Forum, simultaneous bilateral meetings will be held over a desk for most of the day.
Expectation for future business
The expectation that a large majority of these encounters will have a successful ending, brings the potential numbers to levels that They can move the ammeter of exportss of the province. But no official dares to give precise estimates so far in advance, since the processes are long from the first contact between buyers and sellers until the transaction is completed.
The geographies of origin of the foreign delegates extend to the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Guatemala, Panama, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Egypt, Spain, India, Australia and Canada, among others.
The participants, both national and visitors from abroad, went through a pre-selection scheme. Then, through an application that works as a kind of Tinder business, they were looking for the interests coincided and the couples were formed for bilateral meetings.
If the attraction is strong and the interest growing, visits by potential buyers are arranged. the production plants of local companiesThere, it is verified that the products are those that were offered on the shelves and that they comply with the quality standards required by each country.
This type of investment round is called “reverse” because it is not the Argentine businessmen who travel abroad to try to sell their products at fairs or conventions, but rather the arrival of potential buyers to the country is facilitated.
In all cases, the companies selected from both sides of the counter They don’t pay a single cent to participate of the Rosario Forum. The organization takes care of all the costs, with the help of its exclusive sponsor: the Petersen group, which belongs to the Eskenazi family. This group is owner of the Bank of Santa Fe and also from the banks of San Juan, Santa Cruz and Entre Ríos.
“This is the largest business forum in Argentina, the largest in scope, and it was achieved thanks to the provincial drive but The change in economic paradigm also helped that the national government is implementing,” Georgina Losada highlighted.
“The most demanded item by foreign buyers is processed foodssuch as cheeses, dulce de leche and premium cuts of meat. Also auto parts, animal nutrition, laboratories and machinery for the food industry,” explained the Secretary of Foreign Trade.
There are 14 international buyers looking for suppliers in agricultural machinery. There are 18 registered buyers in meat.
The first day of the meeting, which took place on Tuesday, focused on agricultural machinery and auto parts. Tomorrow, it will be the turn of the food sector.
Source: Ambito
