2024-08-19 16:20:43
The 13th Andean Business Meeting, the most important commercial platform of the Andean Community, concluded with more than 600 business meetings. This event, held on July 16 and 17, brought together more than 100 exporting and purchasing companies from Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, and third markets such as Chile, Panama and Spain.
Representatives from the agro-food, metalworking and chemical sectors participated in this meeting, which is the result of the joint effort of the four export promotion agencies in the region. This collaborative work promotes innovation, competitiveness and the use of the free trade zone.
During the two days of business meetings, the event strengthened intraregional trade, promoted opportunities for productive linkages and complementarity, and contributed to the economic reactivation of the Andean countries. It should be noted that SMEs in the Andean Community represent 90% of the productive apparatus and generate 60% of jobs in the region.
The event offers small and medium-sized companies the opportunity to enter regional and international markets, thanks to the added value and identity of their products. Diego Caicedo, representative of the General Secretariat of the Andean Community, said at the closing of the event that this space has allowed companies to expand their horizons and strengthen their positioning in the Andean and global markets. “It is encouraging to think about the potential that this has for our companies, in terms of growth and international projection,” said Caicedo.
For his part, José Villena, Ecuador’s Vice Minister of Export and Investment Promotion, highlighted that 72% of exports from the countries in this bloc correspond to MSMEs, actors in the popular and solidarity economy, and small communities that have managed to internationalize their products through associations.
Xavier Gutiérrez, representative of Sierra Organics, a company that produces healthy snacks based on vegetables, highlighted the importance of the event to boost exports of Andean companies, allowing them to establish successful commercial alliances. Jessica Rengifo, from Sisa Mutqui, an Ecuadorian freeze-dried coffee company, participated for the first time and found in this space an opportunity to offer her innovative products to international clients.
This annual event is organized and promoted by the Andean Committee of Export Promotion Authorities (CAAPE), made up of the Vice Ministry of Foreign Trade and Integration of Bolivia, PROCOLOMBIA, PRO ECUADOR, PROMPERÚ, and has the support of the General Secretariat of the Andean Community.