The SIAL China 2019: opportunity or strategy?

An additional edition of SIAL China, the food show held in Shanghai, with a strong presence of the delegation of our country having obtained a historic participation.

Without being limited to the figures already lightened by this means in recent days, it seems that the meat packaging industry exporting beef has been a memorable day: strong demand, prices that have exceeded the ceilings historical and meat cuts that were added to the list of orders that until now have not been requested, or were so little way.

In terms of dairy by-products, demand was also very strong. Although it is an industry that does not have the ability to place products such as the meat industry, it is not because it does not have enough quality, but because at its level there are many different countries. what is happening with the bovine pampas. "For us, it's a continuous learning.

It is very important for our company and for all the companies that make up APYMEL to say where the companies are located, "said Santiago Aguirre, commercial director of Pampa Cheese." Business has been done, new agreements have been signed and other opportunities presented themselves.

Peanuts from the province of Córdoba were also very well represented, not only by the world-renowned companies, but also by the companies that aspire to give the country a jump that sometimes costs so much and that raises some fear: move to the other link in the chain, add value.

"If you want your business to grow, no one will come to offer it to you, we have to look for it." In Córdoba we have all the conditions for peanuts, we must rethink the use of technology and the payment of royalties, in other countries of the world. He does it and today, they have a long way ahead of us, "said Guillermo Salvatore, president of Agrileasur, a peanut producer in Córdoba.

The shrimp industry is going through a difficult period in this part of the world because of a loss of profitability that it is trying to recover by pbading the price. Here opportunities have not been talked about.

On the other hand, the poultry companies came to this fair "to rub their wings" and they knew in advance that the Asians would seek to replace the animal protein deficiency responsible for African swine fever by Argentine birds, and that would be a high percentage. 80%

The consumption of this animal in China is very different from the way it is consumed in Argentina. In the People's Republic, chicken eats from head to toe. Of course, the least liked is the meat. It turns out that claws are the most consumed, which is most valued for their social status and what is the best paid (over $ 4,000 per ton). Then the wings appear, and now our famous leg-thigh is consumed without much respect. The chest is the most expensive part of the chicken to sell in these places.

"This is an opportunity to seize to diversify sales: when a market collapses, you have an alternative, that is to say the whole chicken as the value Many times it is more convenient in the domestic market. Now, in terms of claws and wings, the Asian market is vital, "said Daniel Goldein and Fernando Marsó of Las Camelias SA.

With regard to pork production, African swine fever suddenly came to China and caused a serious problem. "They are fighting the problem and they will surely overcome it, as happened in Spain and Portugal more than 50 years ago, but now, because of the existence of different tools, this will stop sooner, "said Esteban Turic, director of the first Argentine laboratory to install for vaccine production.

This will create many opportunities for a new market for Argentina, opening this destination to national pork being as recent as the end of SIAL. In addition, we have not yet marketed this market, but the word opportunity has been so spent that they have used it.

Opportunity or strategy?

Now, what is an opportunity? According to the Royal Spanish Academy, it is "what is presented and acted at the time, a favorable and convenient opportunity". In short, something that will happen. And when that happens, Argentina should change this opportunity by strategy, make a moment of constant.

The national government has worried about opening new destinations like it 's an airline company. You can not deny that. And many embbadies are, according to the entrepreneurs, animators' offices grouping a group of employees working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to look after possible and future business.

Even then, it would give the impression that individuals need a new push, another kind of force. Someone commented at one of the many meetings that took place this week in China: "What would happen if Argentina seriously offered the Chinese government to invest in the company?" "It would mean coming to produce pigs in the country." It is necessary to point out that there are not many countries in the world. With the conditions of our territory for raising pigs, you can raise pigs almost everywhere in the country, we have health, corn, good weather, a skilled workforce, etc. "

For the government to fund large-scale investments, we have to wait for several years, which may be consistent, because some issues on the agenda require immediate attention and resolution.

When a country imports products, it pays a portion of the salary to a person from another part of the world and, when it exports, it generates work and currency, so necessary in our time . If Argentina could receive investments from those who never happen to produce what will be exported, I think the situation would be really different. It would be something more structural still. It should not be easy either, and no one has said it.

When you walk the streets of Shanghai, you realize the huge population of China. If you use public transport, arrive at your warehouses or meeting places, you discover how you live in these parts of the city. world

However, in a commercial location such as SIAL 2019, there is a real dimension of what China is capable of doing. And discover that it's shocking. SIAL 2019 leaves me with this feeling: if we face another opportunity, we can also face a new strategy.