Ecuador is seeking to increase exports to the United Kingdom with the active participation of its commercial office in London. There is a high demand for fair trade, organic, sustainable production labelled products but there is also a strong entry for chocolate, snacks and dried fruit.
Juan Diego Stacey, head of Ecuador's Commercial Office in London, said they are working hard in generating business opportunities for Ecuadorian firms, identifying what products the British are looking for that might be provided by Ecuadorian companies.
"We visit and validate British importers and buyers, and then connect them with Ecuadorian companies that produce and offer the products they seek. This is done through a system developed by Pro Ecuador Matrix where we inform our database registered exporters of the existing commercial opportunities and they decide whether to participate in them or not," he said.
The officer stationed in London said that the most representative Ecuadorian products demanded by the United Kingdom were: tuna, organic shrimp, organic and fair trade bananas, sustainable palm oil, and broccoli among others.
He added that there is great potential for high quality fruit concentrates (for industrial use) and fresh fruits that had Global GAP certification (pineapple, mango, papaya, dragon fruit).
"Coffee and cocoa are highly accepted, however, they are for specific niches. Ecuador 's strategy is to offer these products with added value and based on a high level of quality and specialization, not by volume or in their primary form," he indicated.
"The UK consumes a lot of fair trade labelled products, certified organic products as well as those with a sustainable production. In fact, in Europe, this country and Sweden are the ones that have the highest consumption of these labels," he said.
Source: America Economia