It was only two hours, but they were very intense. Wherever he went, in an exhibition of the agribusiness sector with countless proposals, he was the biggest attraction. He enjoyed it, and they enjoyed it.
Luis Lacalle Pou, President of the Republic, this Friday visited the Expo Melilla and In addition to taking dozens of photos (mostly selfies) with other visitors, almost all rural producers, on his tour of the property he ate an apple that he took from the stand of the Metropolitan Agri-food Unit (UAM), tried Colonia cheese made with milk from Normande cows and took several giftsamong them a country shirt and gaucho panties. As one of his advisers joked at the time, he only needed to receive a pair of espadrilles to complete the game.
Relaxed, taking the necessary time to find out about everything he saw, asking and asking again the person who received him, the president was accompanied on a long walk by various officials related to the different productive sectors.
He arrived at the property around 4:00 p.m. was received by Gonzalo Valdés Requena, president of the Rural Association of Uruguay (ARU), and Rafael Ferber, director of Exhibitionsthese along with other current directors and former presidents of the host union.
john samuel
Greetings, photos and talks.
When the president left Ferber told The Observer that he had been enthusiastic about what he found, that it was noted that he enjoyed the visit, that he was especially interested in various innovations that were being exhibited and that the ARU was very happy with his presencewhich was added to that of a large number of authorities who were already on the premises in the first two days.
where were you
The Expo Melilla takes place for the eleventh time in the field that the ARU owns in the rural area of Montevideo, at km 11.5 of route 5, in front of the UAM. The exhibition, created in 2012 by the union that is now 151 years old and has been organizing the Expo Prado livestock exhibition for more than 100 years, began on Thursday, March 31 and will run until Sunday, April 3. After not being held in 2020 and 2021 due to the covid pandemic, it returned and can be visited from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and admission costs $300.
“We were very happy, he got to know a good part of the exhibition but not all of it, it was impossible to achieve that with such a large exhibition (it grew by 25% in exhibitors and expanded to 50 hectares) and with so many people who wanted to greet him, talk to him, take a picture, which are things that he also enjoyed, “said Ferber.
Lacalle Pou stopped at dozens of stands or demonstrative areas of the exhibitors. She did it in places where there were large companies and also in small business spaces. She didn’t choose… wherever she went she stopped, looked and consulted. On the premises there are some 300 firms exhibiting some 2,000 brands of products and services for the agribusiness sector. When something interested her, she stayed several minutes to find out.
Meanwhile, the producers constantly stopped him to talk to him. One, for example, thanked him for how he was leading the country: “Keep it up, we are very satisfied,” he told him. Another, from a few meters and without getting close, asked him: “Don’t loosen up, president.” They also thanked him for being in an area where the potential of the agroproductive sector is synthesized.
Mixing selfies and greetings with contacts with the exhibitors, in one of the tents, to mention one case, he was interested in the proposal of a company that presented a methodology that allows, betting on sustainability, to increase profitability in agricultural activity. He was also at the BROU stand, at the Antel stand and at the State Insurance Bank stand. And he talked for a long time with a speaker about a technology for harnessing solar energy.
At different times, on specific issues, the president, as appropriate, was advised by the exhibitors, by the ARU authorities, by Fernando Mattos -minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP)- and by different authorities of the public-private institutionality of the agro.
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The visit to the Inavi stand.
“Go snack on something”
Every time they were giving him gifts. The 2022 book-almanac of the BSE, a field shirt and a pant, for example; In the middle of the area of tents with stands, she stopped to speak with a craft knife maker. Before they invited him from a stand with sausages, salamis and other bills and the president told them that he would come back, that they go snack on something… after a while he complied: he went by, tried it and liked it. He also ate an apple, a red one, which he took from the UAM stand where there were several fruits that were used by those who accompanied the president on the walk.. The president even joked about it: “How do you take advantage, eh!”, he told them.
Right away they gave him wines at the stand of the National Institute of Viticulture (Inavi), where he asked about the Tannat and joked with Ricardo Cabrera, president of the institute, about the promised inauguration date of the new Inavi headquarters in Las Piedras, which will open this year.
At that height, those who accompanied the president were not given their hands to keep the gifts.
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Lacalle Pou at the Normando breed stand.
At the stand of the breeders of the Norman breed they treated him with cheese, they gave him another wine and the cabañera Isabel Chiarino highlighted the value of what he did for the breed Andrés Camy, former president of the guild, a leading producer and guild member, who died last year. Lacalle Pou recalled the emotional tribute paid to Camy at the San José livestock exhibition, to which he attended, an exhibition from which the president received two cockerels as a gift, which, he commented, “I have in my office.” .
At another time, a couple of veteran countrymen who They introduced themselves as “a few farmers who want to greet the president, something that is rare in the world, but here in Uruguay is quite normal”, spoke with Lacalle Pou. They were from Barrancas. One of the topics in the pleasant chat, while the president finished his apple, was that of Border Collie dogs.
The tour continued. Lacalle Pou visited companies that offer vehicles, machinery, others that sell wood-burning stoves, one with robots, and he arrived at the MGAP stand where a beekeeper gave him three jars of honey produced by bees that carry out their work in eucalyptus forests. The ladies in charge of that space gave her a brochure with information on the seasonal production of fruits and vegetables.
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In the demonstration area of MegaAgro and Calvase, he spoke with the directors of the company.
What the government won’t let you do
After passing by where the auctioneer Juan Andrés Dutra lowered the hammer to several standing lambs, after asking about the breeds that were in the sheds and visiting the stands of the firms MegaAgro (pastures, seeds and other supplies) and Corporación of Machinery (basically tractors), I especially salute the agricultural journalist Eduardo “Vasco” Echevarne and in the space of the Honda company he asked about a motorcycle model.
There, too, they showed him a quadricycle. Someone suggested that he was good enough to take him to La Paloma, and the president replied: “The government does not let you use them in the arena,” causing laughter among those who were there.
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Rafael Ferber, Fernando Mattos, Nicolás Chiesta, Gonzalo Valdés and the president, when he asked about the sheep breeds that were being auctioned off.
The last gift that Lacalle Pou received was given to him by a journalist, the editor of the Riendas magazine, specialized in equine activities, who gave him a copy and told him that he was sending it to the president’s daughterbecause he had asked for it. Lacalle Pou thanked “being able to look good with my daughter”, posed with the magazine in his hands and shortly after he leftbut not before generating an exchange with the journalists who accompanied the tour, in which he spoke of current issues, including the measure to lower the cost of products made with flour, which will be activated this Monday 4.
From there and towards the car, he only stopped to greet the directors of the ARU, to take several more selfies, to listen and share with acquaintances a couple more anecdotes, stories in which he was the protagonist, of his experiences in the rural environment.
“I’m leaving, I’m running late, I have to be home at six,” he said, already crossing the bridge towards the parking area. It was only five minutes before the 18th hour arrived. They are waiting for him at the Suárez y Reyes residence to sign a decree.
john samuel
A selfie with the president, at Expo Melilla.
