Argentina and China signed on Thursday (17.5.2018) the Protocols for beef for the inclusion of chilled beef with and without bone and frozen beef with bone, and pancreatic products for industrial use. In addition, exports of bovine and equine semen and embryos will be reopened after access conditions are adjusted, according to the official statement.
After several years of work by the Ministry of Agroindustry of the Nation together with the National Service of Health and Agri-Food Quality (Senasa), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship and the Argentine Embassy in China, signed together with the Chinese Customs, the Protocols that establish the authorization of the export of chilled beef with and without bone and frozen beef with bone and pancreatic products for industrial use.
In this regard, the Minister of Agroindustry highlighted that "the conclusion of these negotiations was possible thanks to the consolidation of bilateral ties, the increase in trust and the effort made by both technical teams, reaching an important agreement that will allow us to diversify and increase national exports to China, the main destination for our country's agroindustrial products. This opens up a unique opportunity for the sector as it will generate greater job creation throughout the chain and increase livestock production."
On the other hand, it was agreed that In the coming weeks, the Access Protocol for equines on foot will be completed. in order to resume exports, and with the bovine semen and embryos, according to what was discussed last week during the visit to China of the president of Senasa, Ricardo Negri, who held meetings with the general directors of the food safety and quarantine departments. In the latter case, progress will be made directly through administrative channels with the adjustment of veterinary certificates to make trade operational quickly.
China Customs
Likewise, based on the exchange held with the Chinese Customs in recent days, work priorities were set with a view to the visit at the end of the year of President XI Jinping to Buenos Aires for the G20 to sign a A two-way protocol was established for pork, cherries and honey, and it was agreed to close the Protocol for sheep and goats in Patagonia in November.
Argentine Foods
Finally, Argentina's interest in concluding negotiations promptly was conveyed. Other Argentine foods such as live cattle, wheat, rice, lemons, chickpeas and beansIn addition, it was proposed to carry out the first pre-inspection visit of shipments of the first export of dried peas and blueberries and to speed up the process of registering new poultry and beef meat refrigerators.
Key destination
Note that China, along with the European Union, is one of the main destinations for Argentine agro-industrial exportss, having exported to the Asian country 7.124.692 tons for US$ 3.596 million in 2017, while 13.615.970 tons were sold to the EU for US$ 7.027 million.
In China, with a strong component in soybean complex products (beans and crude soybean oil) and the meat sector (beef and poultry), Argentine agro-industrial exports represent 83% of the total. A key destination. The agro-industrial sector has a trade surplus of more than 3.000 billion dollars, and also has great potential for further growth. Frozen boneless beef has become the second most important product in our exports to China, with values close to 400 million dollars (China imports 2.200 billion dollars of this product annually).
In this sense, the upcoming opening of the bone-in beef market represents a great challenge and an excellent opportunity for the sector's exports to the Chinese market.
Today we took a fundamental step in our objective of continuing to export food to the world. We signed the health protocol to add the entry of chilled beef with and without bone and frozen beef with bone to#China
????? pic.twitter.com/kgDYSt9yWB— Luis M Etchevehere (@lmetcevehere) May 17th 2018
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