China: "We hope that the protocol is signed so that our products can enter"
Carlos Stabile, president of the Committee of blueberries of Argentina:
This is being negotiated by our representatives of the Chancery Agroindustry, that is, the Embassy and Agricultural Attaché in Beijing, from 4 or 5 years ago, and everything would indicate that this will be ready for Macri's next trip to Beijing from the 14 to 19 of May.
Carlos Stabile, president of the Committee of blueberries of Argentina talks about to the present time of the industry of the cranberry Argentina, his future perspectives and the evaluations that leaves a season that grew an 15%, with more than 17 thousand tons exported, by a value of USD110 million.
- How is the blueberry market in the country, how important is it with respect to imports and exports?
- It is a fruit that has gained much ground in recent years and in Argentina we currently have 2759 hectares planted, in two main areas. In the northwest, with epicenter in Tucumán and something in the south of Salta, and in the northeast, mainly in Concordia and surrounding areas, still maintaining an 20% of production in the province of Buenos Aires.
"The Argentine production of blueberries is destined in an 90% export market and its main destination is the US that consumes the 60% to 65% of its production. The second main destination of Argentine exports of blueberries is the European Union and followed by Canada, Brazil and some of Asia"Says Stabile and adds that all of its production is for fresh fruit, with almost no production destined for frozen or processed, nor less for dehydrated fruit.
Stabile highlights that the blueberry has expanded in its production and diversified in its consumption, being found in the food industry in multiple products, even in pharmaceuticals and cosmetology. This reality and the almost absence of property restrictions, added to the wide range of varieties, make him affirm that "the blueberry is democratic and federal, it is consumed and produced by many countries and there are thousands of brands to choose from ..."
- How is the internal consumption?
- We have almost no internal consumption. The product is not known, there is very little information and it has not been promoted enough, the knowledge is low yet. Today we have in our plans to develop a strong domestic market so as not to depend as much on export as we now depend, for consumers it will also be an advantage, for access to a fruit with such important healthy qualities. Besides being a great antioxidant is a fruit rich in flavor and easy to eat.
Carlos Stabile says that it is being managed so that the producers, the distributors and the representatives of the supermarket chains meet to negotiate and regulate their price, in the perspective of deriving an important quota of the Argentine production of blueberries to the domestic consumption.
- Do they have the support of the authorities?
- Yes, we have been called as a result of statements we have made regarding our lack of competitiveness and we are working together to solve these problems.
The main problem that Argentinian producers have is the high production costs that Argentina has in relation to those of other countries, and that they are syndicated as the direct cause of their lack of competitiveness. Stabile states that with respect to Peru, production costs in Argentina are two to three times more expensive, because "the daily wage in Argentina, with charges included, is USD $ 40, in Peru it is USD $ 12 and in Chile it is USD $ 25".
The demand of the producers of blueberries is that the State intervenes, since the tax on work, social contributions and employer contributions are very high, which places them in a very unfavorable situation. The exchange rate delay is also a factor against, according to Stabile.
Despite this, the Argentine blueberry industry is projected to even more distant markets, looking for areas with greater potential for growth in the consumption of blueberries, or a high per capita income and demand for healthy products, is the case of the Kingdom United, in which the demand is in continuous growth and China, in which the income has been managed for almost five years.
- China has not bought anything yet?
- Not because we do not have the authorizations of the phytosanitary authorities, they are the ones that have to give us permission to enter our products. We do not have that permission yet, but it is being negotiated at the country level.
Regarding this point, Stabile is optimistic about the possible entry of Argentine blueberries to China through the signing of an import protocol. "This is being negotiated by our representatives of the Chancery Agroindustry, that is, the Embassy and Agricultural Attaché in Beijing, from 4 or 5 years ago, and everything would indicate that this will be ready for Macri's next trip to Beijing from the 14 to 19 of May. We hope that this protocol is signed so that we finally have the entry permit for our products", Ends.
Source: Martín Carrillo O. - Blueberries Consulting
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