The 12th edition of the International Business Round was held from May 31st to June 2nd in the city of Armstrong, Santa Fe. During three days of hard work, 250 business meetings were conducted. Over 50 national companies were from Santa Fe, Córdoba and Buenos Aires and they had the opportunity to meet with foreign importers from Angola, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Italy, Mozambique and Uruguay.
With respect to the markets that were strategically chosen, the Trade Promotion Manager of ProCórdoba, Luis Gilli said:
“It was a wise decision to contact operators from countries where the agricultural machinery and the positioning of direct seeding are becoming more and more important, as in the case of Angola. As a result of this activity, sales of USD 5,420,000 are estimated."
On the other hand, the General Manager of ProCórdoba, Roberto Rossotto said:
“We bet on creating new business opportunities for the sector, the selected markets are the result of the work we've been doing for a very long time and the coordination with the institutions of the sector and the Trade Promotion organizations of the nation and other provinces."
Likewise, foreign operators gave their opinions and comments after having participated in this meeting. Juliao Fernandes Inácio de Alfonso, in charge of Gesterra Company in Angola, said:
“It's the first time I've visited Latin America and Argentina. I'm on behalf of a state company from Angola that was created with the aim of promoting the emergence of big agricultural production companies. We came here to look for machinery and support equipment for agricultural production and post harvest: Silo bags, self-dumping hoppers".
Juliao continued: "We also sought to know better about the agricultural production in Argentina through direct seeding. This is something we have to learn. We want to bring this knowledge to our country. As regards this visit, my expectations were exceeded and I found more than I’ve ever imagined. Angola is in a political and economic recovery process and the idea is to support it through the agricultural reactivation."
Finally, the Angolan businessman said:
"ProCórdoba Agency communicated with us through the Embassy of Argentina in our country. I really feel at home; I'm comfortable. The organization is magnificent. The coordinators are attentive to details; we have a full agenda and we make the most of the meeting time."
From Italy, Claudio Vella, in charge of VSD SRL (company devoted to the purchase and sale of direct seeder) said:
“It's the first time I've visited this fair. Agroactiva shows us hi-tech products. The intention is to be able to do business and take seeders to Italy. We are interested in the products that were presented by the businessmen. We want to be able to coordinate and set details on the European regulations and demands in order to import Argentine agricultural machinery to Italy."
For 12 years, ProCórdoba has been in charge of the international area of the exhibit through the business round. Since 2006, the Agency for Export Promotion of the Province of Córdoba has bet on the strengthening and development of one of the most dynamic sectors of the national economy.
In addition to the business meetings, the Province of Córdoba has shown the international operators the potential of the agricultural agribusiness sector in an outstanding fair space of the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA).