The 15th edition of the country's most important international business round for the food sector had a record number of exhibitors and attendees. The event was organized by ProCórdoba Agency together with the Federal Investment Council (in Spanish, CFI) and the Entrepreneurs Association of the Central Region (AERCA).

For the fourth year in a row, the organizers worked in coordination with the governments of the provinces of the Central Region and Mendoza, through their export promotion divisions. In addition, the dairy sector business round had the support of the Argentine Investment and Trade Promotion Agency (AAICI), and the Ministry of Production of the Nation. This concerted work consolidates the event year after year and allows for diversification, both in relation to the offer (concentrated on the dairy sector but also including products from different regional economies in the country) and through the incorporation of new (potential) buyers.

Thus in the rounds there participated 18 importers from 12 strategic markets from all around the world: Algeria, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, the US, the Philippines, India, Lithuania, Panama, Paraguay and Turkey. Suppliers, on the other hand, were 85 national firms from eight provinces: Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos, Jujuy, Mendoza, Santa Fe, San Juan and Tucumán.

ProCórdoba Agency's President Jorge Marcotegui was present in the activities and shared his thoughts:

"Over the last three years, the round has had impressive growth. The central region of the country is a thriving area. We are deeply invested in these events and there have been good repercussions of this inward mission."

Mehmet Ozseker represents Turkish importing firm Tadim. Dedicated to the roasting, salting and packaging of nuts and seeds for human consumption as snacks, the company currently buys 1,500 ton of peanuts per year. Regarding the business round, he said,

"This is the first time I've participated in the round. We were led to ProCórdoba by the Argentine Consulate. We are looking for suppliers of peanuts and other alternative products like pecan, for which we've already found two potential suppliers. I find the organization of the event very positive, because it allows us to learn about certain companies we would otherwise know nothing about."

Ying Bo Import & Export Co. Ltd. representative Chen Qi, from Shanghai (China), works regularly with Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Brazil, but does not have operations with Argentina. This is why he accepted the invitation to participate in the event. In the representative's first visit to Córdoba, they are seeing how to prepare the ground in the face of the uncertainties brought up by the trade conflict between China and the US:

"We know that Argentina is a great agricultural producer. The companies I have met offer quality products, very similar to those sold in China. The Argentine and Chinese governments are working to bring the two countries closer so as to strengthen the relations between them. Before there were many products that were not authorized for export, but now a lot of opportunities are opening up. Cherries were authorized in 2019, blueberries were cleared for export in 2019, and by the end of the year, nuts will be," Chen Qi explained.

To complete the activities in this important event, the foreign operators visited the industrial plants of Nestlé, Noal and JL, to learn about the production processes used to attain the highest quality. ProCórdoba Agency thus closed a new edition of the international business round held at Villa María Exporta, with a record number of exhibitors and attendees, where exchange between different regional economies at the international level was strengthened.