The Argentine mission in Bangladesh, headed by Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero and whose highlight was the opening of the new embassy in the Asian country, concluded this Tuesday with more than 300 business meetings.
Organized by the Argentine Foreign Ministry with the aim of expanding exports to Bangladesh, the twenty national businessmen who made up the delegation participated in the business meetings.
“Opening markets is an important part of the work we do at the Foreign Ministry, which will also be consolidated after the opening of our embassy here,” said Cafiero.
Speaking to Télam Radio, the foreign minister said that “great possibilities are opening up for Argentine companies” in Bangladesh, which will mean “more work” for Argentina.
“Argentina has to take advantage of these opportunities in a responsible and professional way, truly articulating work with all segments,” said the head of the Palacio San Martín.
Bangladesh – located at the crossroads of South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia – is the eighth most populous country in the world, with a market of more than 170 million inhabitants.
The balance with Bangladesh and the voices of businessmen
In 2022, bilateral trade with Bangladesh was US$765 million, with Argentine exports for US$742.9 million and imports from Bangladesh for US$22.1 million, which meant a trade surplus for Argentina of US$720.8 millions.
After completing the business rounds, Diego Martins commercial manager of Havanna, stated: “That they open the doors for us and come hand in hand with the Foreign Ministry and State agencies that are dedicated to this type of thing is essential.”
“I am particularly surprised by what we have seen on the street, what we were traveling here, in Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh) and what people who try dulce de leche are telling us,” Martins told Télam Radio.
Meanwhile, Juan Fera, director of Marolio, said: “This is the best way to be able to export our work to the world; coming alone to this part of the world would be impossible and with all the work that the Foreign Ministry did organizing the meetings and how they conduct the schedule the truth that it is very good and hopefully they will continue to be repeated in many more places”.
In turn, Carlos Tonon, director of Sabias Semillas, expressed: “I think these initiatives are fundamental for Argentine entrepreneurs and businessmen who are looking to take our products to the world; it is essential to have this type of activity and support because it is what we It’s going to open doors a lot easier.”
“It (this initiative) is excellent because it gives us the chance to promote these products that otherwise coming here privately is very difficult and more than anything, having the contacts of 10 or 20 people who come to try the product or are interested “added Mariano Bonaventura, director of Alfajores Baltazar.
“For Piporé, exports are a strategic part of our business; we are one of the top two or three exporting yerbateras; we are very close; we are very confident that there is significant potential here,” its commercial manager Silvio Leguía told Télam Radio.
Finally, Melody Amal, commercial director of The Halal Company, certified food for the Muslim community, explained that “all of this is very positive because we are uniting ties.”
“It’s not just business but cultural and fraternity of countries that may be distant but have a closeness and admiration not only for soccer but also something that has to do with the history of the two countries,” he completed.
Executives from the companies Marolio, Ecofactory, Vetanco, Lipotech, Luna de los Andes Sabias Semillas, Letis, Santo Pipó, Instituto Nacional de la Yerba Mate (INYM), The Halal Catering Argentina HCB, Havanna, Arcor, Baltazar- traveled with Cafiero. Alfa Pampa, Suplefeed, Ronaldb, Club Atlético River Plate and Cargill.
When drawing up a balance of the mission, in his account on the social network Twitter, Cafiero considered that it is a “new beginning” in the relationship between both countries, while stressing that the objective is to “export, export and export”.
