A supermarket or grocery store in the world ?: What the Macri tour has left for India and Vietnam

The myth that Argentina's agri-food exports bring no added value has been reintroduced in recent days as a result of criticism by political, industrial and communicative leaders during President Macri's trip to India and Vietnam during which it has concluded agreements and progressed in the field of export. lemons, eggs and soybean oil, among other products. Some said that instead of wagering on the world's supermarkets, they signed up for a grocery store.

However, the specialists and agricultural entrepreneurs consulted by
THE NATION They coincided to highlight the importance of agro-industrial production in terms of currency, employment, technology and development, as well as the enormous opportunities offered to the country with these products in these markets. In this context, there are six clear reasons why fruits, vegetables or eggs are important.

• Foreign trade: more fruits and vegetables are exported than steel

The first data that appears strongly are those of economic importance. The fruit and vegetable complex – apples, pears and lemons, among others – exported $ 2108 million in 2017 and ranks seventh among the major foreign exchange earners for goods. At the same time, according to the latest annual data provided by INDEC, the iron and steel complex exported US $ 686 million that year, compared to US $ 763 million for the aluminum complex.

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• Market: growing demand

The second important element is the size of the market that could be captured if the country succeeds in boosting exports to these destinations. "India is now the second most populous country in the world, with 1200 million inhabitants.In a few years, it will be the first, surpbading China (today 1400 million). , it is about 92 million, twice Argentina and For many years, its economy is growing by 6% per year, "says Fernando Vilella, director of the bioeconomy program of the Faculty of Medicine. Agronomy of the University of Buenos Aires (Fauba).

"According to my calculations, by 2030, this region of Asia will have 900 million people who will be fed only by imports, since they will not be able to supply themselves. Even India and the countries of Southeast Asia, and not just China, are vital to Argentina's agro-industrial destiny, "he adds.

• Population: the demographic impact

The possibility that Argentina may increase its exports of agro-industrial products may have a territorial impact. "In a federal project, where the entire national territory has similar living standards and does not reject the population, the role of agribusiness is essential, only tourism and cultural industries are present in every corner of the country, "said Vilella. "If we know that two million Argentines are working against 60,000 in the current auto industry or about 300,000 in construction, the relevance is more than obvious," he adds.

• Lemon: the fruit is worth more than the industrial product

One of the flagship products of Argentine regional economies is lemon, which will now be able to enter India. In 2017, exports of fresh products, essential oils and concentrated fruit juices reached $ 637 million. The main products exported are fresh fruit. To move it from Tucuman, the main producing province of the country, to a market in Russia, the second largest sales destination in the sector, there is work that began many years ago.

"The real factory of the lemon industry are the plants, which are produced from the nursery with the best varieties for the agroecological conditions of the fields, then we have to wait four years of intensive care, which is a lot of knowledge, until Lucas Mendez Trongé, director of institutional relations and sustainability at San Miguel, one of the leading producers of lemons. "And it is harvested with scissors to get the best lemon, that's what makes a picker who chooses the best suited fruit, "he says." Then there is a selection work for quality, size and color so that the fruit gets into a box, "he says.

"There is a misconception that the industrial product has a higher added value – in fact, a tonne of fresh value is much more valuable than what is needed for a ton of juice," he says. Because? For a ton of juice, between five and six tons of fruit are used and discarded because they do not have the color, shape or health required by consumers. "For us, extracting fresh fruits for export has more added value than grinding them, although they later generate by-products of good value per tonne," he says. there. It is estimated that the value of a ton of fresh lemon is about 1100 dollars.

• The egg: university students to biodiesel

During his trip to India, Macri successfully opened the market for Argentine egg exports. More than just a chicken's product, the egg chain covers the farms, the industries that process it, the veterinary laboratories that produce the vaccines for the birds and the fuel needed to move production. "The egg is nothing but processed maize and soy," said Javier Prida, president of the Argentine Chamber of Poultry Producers (Capia). "To produce one kilogram of egg, it takes nine kilograms of corn and four kilograms of soy," he says.

Moreover, it is an activity that requires an increasingly qualified workforce. "Today, we need operators who know how to use a smart phone controlling the ambient temperature of a processing plant, opening or lowering a warehouse or counting the number of eggs in a production line, we have problems getting these human resources, "says Prida. The needs extend to the professional level. "In the universities of Luján, La Plata and Entre Ríos, there are postgraduate careers, technical courses and specialties in poultry farming because of the growth of the chain," says Prida.

Among the innovations adopted by poultry companies are biofuels. "To reduce costs, we use more and more biodiesel in transportation," said the president of Capia.

• Plants: photosynthesis management

"We are managing photosynthesis," says Mariano Winograd, president of 5 a Day, an organization that promotes the consumption of fruits and vegetables, in reference to the transformation of solar energy – basically – into food.

"The division of the economy between primary and secondary depending on the level of iron and oil they carry is a criterion that expires one hundred years, is pre-Einsteinian," he says. . "Turning a seed into a salad takes a lot more value than punching a leaf, and even if it includes transgenic," he adds.

"Today, we are talking about bioenergy or soilless production, hydroponics, or the use of plastic filters to speed up the photosynthetic process of plants, is not it worthwhile?" added? ", asks the expert.

Winograd estimates that it will be necessary to double fruit and vegetable production in 30 years to meet global demand. And he ensures that Argentina will be fundamental in this regard.