The Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa closed the presentations of the 43rd Annual Convention of the Argentine Institute of Finance Executives (IAEF) in a speech where he underlined the potential of the country and the need to stabilize the macroeconomy, reaching, at the same time, consensus between the ruling party and the opposition.
Through a pre-recorded message which was exhibited in the auditorium of the Hotel Alejandro I in the City of Salta, Massa stressed that the country “can be protagonists and undoubtedly has a future” but that this will depend on the “ability to find consensus.”
The same, according to Massa, should revolve around what he considers the “great drivers of the Argentine economy in the coming years”: the energy, proteins, minerals, the knowledge economy together with tourism and construction.
“In proteins, together with biotechnology, Argentina has the opportunity to be a global player”, said the minister and indicated that the country, Together with Brazil and the United States, “it produces 80% of the proteins that the world consumes.”
Another sector where Massa put the focus is Energywhich –he affirmed- “can be the other great wheel of generation of foreign exchange and exports for the Argentine gross product”, making it possible for it to join agriculture in five years, as another “great exporter”.
“Clearly the gas pipelines can allow us to open new export markets, as well as the development of legislation with government-opposition agreements around the installation of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plants, the development of green, gray and blue hydrogen energy; and a law that gives fiscal stability and definitive availability of foreign currency to the hydrocarbon sector”, asserted the head of the Treasury Palace.
Along the same lines, he underlined the possibilities of minerals and their potential to “add added value”as well as the knowledge economy, which he identified as one of “the five most dynamic and strongest export sectors”:
Regarding this last sector, Massa anticipated that next monday will announce the launch of “new legislation that it will allow, on the exportable balances, have better conditions for companies”.
All this -Massa stressed- must come accompanied by an ordering of the economy.
“Obviously we have a parallel responsibility that is to give fiscal order, have the capacity to accumulate reserves and seek for Argentina a development and inclusion program agreed upon by all political forces,” he said.
Closing his message, the minister stressed that it is necessary to undertake, in these areas together with “education and institutional functioning”, the “greatest possible number of agreements” since “it can mean the basis or the pillar for a future development and prosperity for Argentina”.
