The first shipment of 300 kilos of bovine tongue left for Japan yesterday. The Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Fernando Mattos, appreciated that this fact can open the doors to new businesses in the Japanese market.
Mattos witnessed the shipment of the merchandise at the Carrasco airport.
The opening of the Japanese market for Uruguayan meat came to fruition after 22 years of closure as a result of the outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease detected in Uruguay at the beginning of this century.
Mattos affirmed that this fact represents a milestone that begins the commercial process with Japan for the export of bovine tongue, “a highly demanding market, and the one that values this cut the most,” he pointed out.
He also expressed that Uruguay ensured the necessary guarantees, and that there is great recognition by the Japanese authorities, with whom they work especially in health matters.
In addition, he recognized the deep technical work of MGAP officials and members of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, to provide full guarantees to the importing market regarding the safety of the product.
With these first commercial test shipments, customers can get in touch with the product, explained Mattos. The minister predicted that surely this instance will open the doors to a commercial flow of this and other products and determine the strength of the exchange between the two countries.
In addition, he considered that the businesses will impact the entire agricultural chain, since the Japanese market can triple the value of the product, compared to the current price.
The opening of this market for Uruguayan bovine language was completed on November 4. The visit of the President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, to Japan in October was key to the work carried out for two years by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Livestock, with the goal of accessing that market with new sanitary authorizations.
Currently, Uruguay produces some 3,200 tons of language, of which 70% are exported and the rest remains in the domestic market. This export represents annual income of 9,000,000 dollars.
Until 2018, the main destination was China, a market that represented 60% of Uruguayan exports. Later, Russia became the most important market, representing 80% of the sales of this product.
