Argentina seeks to increase exports of sweet citrus. India or Mexico are interesting future destinations for Argentina's sweet citrus. At the moment, however, the Government of Gustavo Bordet is focusing its efforts to open the United States market.
The United States represents a market of 500 million dollars a year. Argentine sweet citrus exporters are looking forward to its opening and value the efforts made by the Argentine Embassy in the United States to achieve this. "There are big expectations. We accompany the efforts in each step that is taken. We're connected to the public part. We have been working with Ambassador Jorge Argüello. He has been studying this market and the business possibilities for more than 10 years," stated Santiago Caprarulo, Executive Director of the Chamber of Citrus Exporters of Northeast Argentina (Cecnea). "Negotiating the opening of the United States market to Argentina's sweet citrus is a top priority."
Cecnea recognizes that the challenge is also for exporters, who will have to make the necessary investments to be prepared for when the negotiations advance. Thus, they even hired a lobbyist to face the negotiations in North America.
On this point, he acknowledged that the main obstacles are created by US citrus producers. "They make a very fierce defense in Florida and California. That's why we're trying to explain to them that we are going to send a very limited volume at first and that it won't grow all of a sudden," he stated.
Caprarulo said that they were going to participate in one of the most important fresh fruit fairs in Orlando at the end of October. "I hope that we have managed to open the market by then or that we hold the necessary meetings to complete the opening at that time."
Source: ahora.com.ar