The Minister of Industry, Debora Giorgi, will returns to Argentina after closing this week’s trade mission to Russia, which involved more than one hundred Argentine companies.
“We are pleased with the performance of Argentine companies in the World Food Moscow fair,” the official said in a conversation with Radio Del Plata on Wednesday. She also said that shipments from the poultry industry, the producers of fine fruits and of dairy products were already arriving to Russia.
The ban imposed by the government of Vladimir Putin on the food products of the countries that opposed Russia in the conflict in Ukraine created an opportunity for Latin American producers.
Argentina also achieved negotiated the remaining harvest of pears and apples to Russia, a product that might have been sold at a lower value to another destiny if it wasn’t exported to that country, the minister said.
According to industry estimates, the ban creates the opportunity of exporting products to Russia for $750 million dollars, apart from the other $900 million dollars of products not covered by the ban, such as wine, bread or adds oils.
“Shipments of poultry, apples, and other products have already started to arrive. Businesses with Russia are already in place, and we need to sign longer-term contracts,” said Giorgi. Additionally, Russia’s third biggest importer of high quality fruits and vegetables plans to open an office in Buenos Aires to stock up on berries, cherries and other products. “It will be open before the end of the year,” Giorgi stated.
In 2003, Argentine exported USD $200 million to Russia. This year’s exports will amount to 900 million. “We will double that amount next year because we export perishable goods and are out of stock, but we will have new crops next year. Thinking we will achieve exporting $1.8 or $2 billion dollars is conservative,” said the Minister.