ProCórdoba Agency, together with the Association of Manufacturers of Agricultural Machinery and Agricomponents of the Province of Córdoba (in Spanish, AFAMAC) and the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (in Spanish, INTA), organized the first “Agricultural Machinery & Supplies Exploratory Mission around Southeast Asia.”

With the commitment to find new markets for the agricultural industry, the delegation visited the National University of Agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the University of Science and Technology in Hanoi, Viet Nam. Moreover, they were welcomed in the city of Ho Chi Minh by the authorities of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of South Viet Nam, and the Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post-harvest Technology.

AFAMAC’s Chairman Gustavo Del Boca, a member of the delegation, stated,

“The prospects are interesting, because this country (Viet Nam) is the main rice exporter. But, in order to achieve technical excellence in production, we must first develop a social and cultural concept that allows us to achieve that. However, we foresee many short-term opportunities, as far as post-harvest is concerned, in relation to storage in silo bags, which can offer a practical and quick solution.”

On the other hand, in Thailand, the authorities participated in meetings held at the Ministry of Agriculture, and they visited corn and sugar cane research centers. Darío Ciscar, a ProCórdoba representative, said,

“This exploratory mission is significantly important. We learned about the development of the agricultural markets in this part of the world, and we were able to assess the technological needs of these markets and become familiar with their interests. Besides, we could show the potential that Argentina, in general, and the Province of Córdoba, in particular, have in relation to agricultural technologies and machinery, and how these could be used and adjusted for different applications at various farms in Thailand and Viet Nam.”

This first approach to the Asian market showed there are good prospects of economic growth. It should be highlighted that the migration processes in these countries have led them to plan an agricultural and livestock development policy focused on the modernization of agriculture and the application of new techniques and technologies for agricultural mechanization.  In this context, Argentina is a model country, and there exist favorable conditions for the commercialization of our products.

The delegation that visited Southeast Asia on this Exploratory Mission consisted of the following members: Mario Bragachini, one of INTA’s national authorities on agricultural machinery, Ricardo Sager, who is responsible for INTA’s cooperation initiatives, Gustavo del Boca, Chairman of AFAMAC, and Darío Ciscar, a representative of ProCórdoba.