With the confirmation of the launch of the opening of Argentine lemons and chia to India, the trade mission of the Secretary of Government for Agroindustry of the Nation, Luis Miguel Etchevehere, to that country and Bangladesh concluded.
“It is very important to visit markets of interest for our products, as it represents a clear sign of confidence towards the agro-industrial sector in terms of export and scientific transfer. With these two markets we have many opportunities to increase and consolidate trade exchange,” said Etchevehere.
“Argentina is the world's leading exporter of lemons; it is a very important regional economy in the NOA. The opening of the market will have a great impact on exports and employment in the region," he added.
This is the first time that an Argentine official of this rank has visited Bangladesh, and the second time that Etchevehere has travelled to India, after the official mission carried out with the President of the Nation, Mauricio Macri, to New Delhi and Mumbai at the beginning of this year. On this occasion, opportunities were sought to expand and diversify the offer of Argentine food to these destinations.
The secretary was accompanied by the Undersecretary of Agricultural Markets, Jesús Silveyra; the agricultural attaché in India with representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, Mariano Beheran; the Argentine ambassador to India, Daniel Chuburu; and the president of CIARA-CEC, Gustavo Idigoras.
In his assessment, Mariano Beheran pointed out that “Argentina is the world's leading exporter of soybean oil, with India being our main destination. We have embarked on a solid path to increase shipments of sunflower oil, in particular, and to diversify our offer, adding more agricultural products that increase the exportable volume.”
The delegation identified opportunities for olive oil, pears and apples, yerba mate and expanding the wine market., while other products such as grapes, blueberries and citrus fruits are under negotiation.
The agro-industry officials discussed the strengthening of the Mercosur-India treaty, pointing out the great progress achieved with the signing of the recent agreement between that bloc and the European Union. In addition, the opportunity was taken to present the new Agricultural Attaché to the public-private authorities, as a sign of the strategic value and confidence in this destination.
During their stay in India, the delegation held meetings with the Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Trilochan Mohapatra; and with the Ministers of Commerce and Industry, Priyush Goyal; of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Giriraj Singh; of Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal; of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar; and of Agriculture of the State of Maharashtra, Chandrakant Patil.
In the framework of the opening of markets promoted by the government of President Macri, Secretary Etchevehere was a speaker and guest of honor at the International Conference on Sunflower Seeds and Oil.
For his part, the Undersecretary of Markets met in Mumbai with representatives of: fruit importing firms, such as Yuppa and IG International, importers of the Silo bag system in India, such as Panama Group, the irrigation company Jai, which is willing to invest in Argentina, and with the directors of the Indian Association of producers and importers of grains and vegetables.
India and Bangladesh: two strategic destinations
Bangladesh has grown by about 6% annually since 2005. It is a country with 170 million inhabitants, and with a surface area smaller than the province of Córdoba or Uruguay. This growth is reflected in an increase in the purchasing power of its citizens, with a growing middle class.
Between 2009 and 2018, total exports to that country increased at an annual cumulative rate of 8,8%.In 2018, it imported US$24.000 billion worth of food.
The trade balance with Bangladesh is in surplus for Argentina, with 99,8% of our exports being agro-industrial. In 2018, these shipments amounted to US$ 496,3 million.
Among the main products traded are soybean oil (88%), wheat (9%) and corn (1%). This concentration of exports in a few products presents the challenge of advancing in the diversification of the offer and in the incorporation of sales with greater added value.
India could be the world's third largest consumer market after China and the US by 2030 (according to the World Economic Forum). This is a market that today has more than 1.300 billion people and continues to grow. In addition, the transfer of agricultural workers to the urban sector is one of the factors that has been driving its growth and consumption patterns. A middle class of between 400 and 500 million people is projected for the year 2025, which will change the demand profile of its population, which will require goods with greater added value.
Currently, Argentina is its sixth largest food supplier. In 2018, exports reached US$ 1.560 billion, of which 93,3% corresponded to agro-industrial products. The main products are: soybean oil 92%, sunflower oil 4%, hides and skins 2%, barley 1%.
India published in its Official Gazette the opening of the lemon and chia market for Argentina! In this way, exports to this important market become operational. pic.twitter.com/BIqxAHkCnU
— Luis Etchevehere (@lmetcevehere) July 20, 2019
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