The closing ceremony of Expo Prado 2022, held this Saturday at the Rural del Prado, had as a key component the speeches delivered from the Official Box, in front of the arena, by the president of the Rural Association of Uruguay (ARU), Gonzalo Valdés Requena, and the Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Fernando Mattos.
In the box, full of guests, the presence of several ministers of State and other hierarchs stood outARU authorities and several former presidents of the host institution, representatives of other unions in the agricultural sector, also rural unions from countries in the region and other actors from the agricultural institutions.
He highlighted the almost total absence of representatives of the opposition to the government coalition, especially the non-attendance of Mayor Carolina Cosseconsidering that the exhibition site belongs to the Municipality of Montevideo and that in previous administrations the mayor accompanied the RA in the closing ceremony.
This year Cosse visited the Expo Prado one day and toured the premises in the company of the president of the ARU and Rafael Ferber, director of Exhibitions.
Who was there, and was the only presence of an opposition actor (at least notably), was Senator Alejandro “Pacha” Sánchez, who after the speeches declared that it was “a pleasure” to be at Expo Prado.
He later reflected that “Uruguay is an agro-exporting country by nature and we are seeing how year after year we are improving, investing in technology, investing in innovation”.
Sánchez, after observing the boarded herds contest, held in the ring, pointed out that these field work demonstrations “are very good.”
Agro-export destination
He said, about the agricultural sector, being “amazed with the progress we have had, with the investments, and we hope that it will continue like this, because Uruguay has to continue investing in technology, innovation and knowledge, but our destiny is agro-export”.
Regarding Gonzalo Valdés’ speech, he opined: “The ARU made its claims, we all have to work so that Uruguay can distribute the product of our exports and work to support those who invest and those who work. In that sense, we agree.”.
However, also identified what you didn’t like: “There are some issues, as it is in a democracy, that we do not share, but we can discuss them in a healthy way. I do not share the claim that the State is small, the Uruguayan State has to be efficient, it has to be good and that is going to help, of course, all productions”.
For Sánchez, “the main message is that the debate in Uruguay be respectful, healthy and, above all things, orientated towards improving the country”.
“We have managed to overcome many difficulties that we have had, today Uruguay is stopping in the world, it has to have a good negotiation of international insertion, we have to work to improve our international insertion and in that sense we all have to put our shoulders”, he concluded.
Sánchez made the statements on the esplanade located in front of the Official Box, where the common thing was to observe members of the government coalition giving statements after having been in the Official Box and the strange thing was their presence.
